Wrath of the Brotherhood
by cheri1
Summary: Eleven/River, Rose/John, Eleven/Michelle. AU. Part of my Family In Indiana series. When Rose and John crossed the void to the Doctor's universe, they thought they were safe from the Brotherhood but they will soon learn how wrong they are.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is part of my Family in Indiana series. The other stories in the series are Happy Hillbilly Thanksgiving, A Country Christmas, Loss and Healing, Refugees and Breakfast with Mandy.

Chapter One

It was the fourth Thursday in November, a very chilly morning in London. In the Mayfair mansion that belonged to the Stevens family, Lori was cooking breakfast for everyone while most of the children prepared to go to school. While she was frying some bacon, she noticed Michelle coming into the room and she smiled at her daughter.

"Good morning, baby," Lori said.

"Mornin' Mommy, you know what day it is today?" Michelle said, walking up to the stove.

"It's Thursday as far as I know," Lori said, glancing at her.

"It's Thanksgiving Day!" Michelle said.

Lori chuckled.

"Not here, baby. Here in England, it's Thursday," she said.

"I know but…this is the day we met the Doctor and River and Amy and Rory and Donna. We should have a party for that, kinda like Thanksgiving, shouldn't we?"

Lori paused for a moment in thought.

"I don't see why not," Lori said. "After all, it was because of the Doctor that we have this lovely house and a nicer life. Of course, you guys like any excuse for a party."

She chuckled when Michelle nodded emphatically at that. She finished cooking the bacon and after putting them on a plate, she turned off the gas cooker for a moment so she could call the Doctor.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Donna lay on the sofa in the TARDIS lounge, lazily reading a magazine while she stretched out. He foot flicked lazily while she turned the page of the fashion magazine in the magazine rack by one of the chairs. While she was reading, the Doctor came into the room and stopped when he saw her.

"All of time and space to explore and you're on the sofa reading rubbish," he said after seeing what she was doing.

"I'm resting," Donna said. "I do like to rest sometimes and take a break from running."

"Yeah but…that?" he said, pointing to the fashion magazine. "Ew, where did you find that thing?"

"In the rack by the chair," Donna said, pointing to it. "It wasn't mine."

"No, probably Rose's. Maybe I should give it back to her before your mind turns to mush," he said.

Donna was about to say something about that when the mobile rang in the Doctor's pocket. He fished it out and smiled when he looked at the tiny monitor.

"It's Lori," he said, answering it. "Lori, is this your weekly chat with me telephone call?"

"Well, yes and no. Shelly is here and she gave me a wonderful idea," Lori said.

"Oh? Well, let's hear it because I'm eager for something to do besides sit on a sofa and read magazines," the Doctor said while Donna stuck out her tongue at that.

"Well, today is Thanksgiving Day, at least it is in the US, and Shelly pointed out that it's the first anniversary of your first meeting with us and she wants to have a party to celebrate."

"Ah ha ha, a party sounds brilliant," the Doctor said while Donna gave him a quizzical look.

"Well, like I said to Shelly, the children look for any excuse to have a party and to see you again," she said.

"Well, I'm much the same," the Doctor said. "So when do you want me to arrive?"

"Well…the children are getting ready for school right now so sometime this evening?" Lori said. "No, baby, you can't stay home from school," he heard her say to Michelle. "He has a time machine; he'll be here when you get home. I can't pull you out of school everytime he comes over…Sorry, she's begging for you to come now so she can stay home," Lori said to the Doctor. "I keep telling her if she wants to travel with you, she needs her education so she can figure things out for you."

"Yes, because I need an extra mind from time to time," the Doctor said. "Anyway, we'll get ready for this evening. Did you want me to try to find River?"

"If you can, she was a part of this too," Lori said. "Besides, I want to see River. It's been awhile."

"I WANT TO SEE RIVER TOO!" the Doctor heard Michelle say.

"Can I honk at Bookworm for a moment then?" the Doctor said.

"Sure, hang on. Honey, the Doctor wants to honk at you," he heard her say.

"Hello?" Michelle said when she took the phone from her mother.

"HONK, HONK, HONK! There, put your mother back on," the Doctor said.

Michelle giggled.

"Please come," she said after sobering up.

"Oh, if I must," the Doctor said with an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose I must come and see you all again and enjoy good food and company."

"And bring the crystal so we can see Amy and Rory too."

"That reminds me, I need to talk to Amy when we see her," the Doctor said. "I keep feeling like someone is kicking me in the bum but when I turn around, there's no one there. I have a feeling it's Pond amusing herself by irrita…there it is again!" he said as he put his hand over his butt. "Amy, stop it!" he yelled at the air. "I'm going to turn the crystal on now and give her a piece of my mind but yes, we'll bring it for the party."

"Honey, you need to get off the phone so you can eat and go to school," he heard Lori saying to her daughter.

"Look, you better go. We'll be there tonight so have fun at school and learn, learn, learn!"

"I'll see you later. I love you," Michelle said.

"Love ya too, Bookworm. Laters!"

The Doctor ended the call and put it back in his pocket. He then asked the TARDIS to give him the crystal so he wouldn't have to go get it. The box containing the crystal appeared on the coffee table in front of Donna and when the Doctor turned it on, Donna pointed behind him and he turned to see Rory sitting against a tree while he read a magazine.

"Where is your wife?" the Doctor said to Rory.

Rory shrugged and gave him an innocent look.

"Is your wife kicking me in the bum?" the Doctor said to him.

Rory shrugged and the Doctor gave him a withering look.

"Where is she, Rory?" he said while Donna giggled.

"Off doing spirit stuff, probably," Rory said, turning the page of his magazine.

"Rory…" the Doctor said while Donna giggled.

"What? I don't know where she went," Rory said to him. "The afterlife is a vast, eternal place. She might have gone to Tesco for some groceries. There's probably one around here somewhere."

"Rory…"

"Or maybe…a zoo? We probably have some vast zoo with everything there ever was in it," Rory said, looking around.

"Ror…"

The Doctor grunted and Donna laughed when Amy suddenly appeared behind the Doctor and gave him a swift kick in the ass.

"Damn, I was hoping the bloke wouldn't notice!" Amy said, walking past the Doctor to Rory.

"Oh look. She's back from Tesco now," Rory said.

The Ponds giggled when the Doctor flipped them the vees.

"Looking forward to the party tonight by the way," Amy called to him as he left the room, mumbling to himself about figuring out a way to get to Heaven so he could kick Amy's ass in return.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The TARDIS materialized in the corner of the large kitchen at about 6 P.M. in the evening. The Doctor opened the door and called out when he didn't see anyone in the room. He was carrying the box containing the crystal in his hands.

"Hello, we've arrived!" he said while Donna and River came out behind him.

They stood in the kitchen and looked around. The area was clean with brand new appliances and furniture. They heard the TV in the distance but there was no sign of anyone.

"Maybe they went out for awhile," Donna said to him.

"OKAY, WE'RE LEAVING! HAVE FUN!" the Doctor yelled before he turned and stomped his feet on the floor. "WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE UNIVERSE NOW! BYE BYE!"

He smiled when he heard some giggling coming from behind the open doorway. He turned to see Mandy shyly poking her head around the corner.

"Ps and Qs!" he said, rushing to her. "I thought someone might respond when I threatened to leave and here you are! My little Ps and Qs!" he said, scooping her up for a hug. "Why it was just a year ago that I first met you, picking bogeys out of your nose while you sat in your father's truck. Ah, memories!"

"You came!" Mandy squealed.

"I came!" the Doctor said, matching her squeal. "I most certainly came. So…where are the others? They didn't leave you in charge, did they? Because the house looks clean and that's not like you!"

Then he heard giggling coming from behind the TARDIS. Everyone turned to see Michelle sticking her head out from behind it.

"You almost landed on me," she said to them.

"You mean I missed! Blast, I was hoping for a splat!" the Doctor said, putting Mandy down.

Mandy hugged River and Donna while the Doctor went over to Michelle and hugged her.

"And you, my Bookworm, how are you?" he asked Michelle.

"I'm chuffed," Michelle said.

She giggled when the Doctor's mouth fell open.

"Do my ears deceive me or did you just use something British?" he said.

"Yup, I did," Michelle said.

"Then…that means….you'll be British?"

Michelle giggled when the Doctor sniffed and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

"At last she listened to me. To think I lived to see this day," he said with a fake sob while Michelle giggled. "So where is everyone else?"

"In the living room," Michelle said to him.

"Okey-dokey," the Doctor said.

He hugged her briefly and turned to go see the others while Michelle hugged Donna and River. He was about to go through the doorway when Brittany suddenly jumped out and yelled "BWAH!" at him. Tom came out from around the corner and the two of them giggled while the Doctor stared at them calmly.

"You do notice I didn't wet myself, yeah? Because I didn't," he said to them before giving them hugs.

Brittany and Tom gave Donna and River hugs while Mandy and Michelle followed the Doctor through a short hallway into the lounge. Inside the lounge, Lori and Jim were watching TV while Rose and John sat at a card table. Rose and John had five cards face down in front of them and there was another set of five at an empty chair. The rest of the deck was in the middle of the table.

"Sorry, the children wanted to get to you first," Lori said while she and Jim got up. "It's nice to see you again."

"And you," the Doctor said, putting the crystal down on the coffee table as Brittany, Tom, River and Donna came into the room.

Jim and Lori said hello to Donna and River while Brittany walked to the empty chair at the card table and sat back down. The Doctor looked at Rose and John. They looked healthier since he last saw them. Both of them had gained a bit more weight and both had longer hair. Rose wasn't wearing her wig and her hair was short and cut in a pixie cut that the Doctor found cut. John's hair was sticking up in a short spiky look.

"We were playing poker," Brittany said to him while everyone picked up their cards.

The Doctor sauntered over to Rose and looked over her shoulder. He studied her cards before walking around to the others. John gave him a wary look when he breezed by him before stopping back at Rose. Then he picked up the deck, looked through it, selected the ace of spades and put his finger to his lips and said, "Shhhh" while he tried to pass the facedown card to Rose.

"Oi," John said.

Brittany and Michelle giggled at the deer in the headlights look on the Doctor's face as he froze with the card inches from Rose's face.

"Sorry, force of habit. I can't help helping my companion, you know," he said, putting the card back in the deck and shuffling them before putting them back.

He gasped when he felt someone kick his ass again. Grumbling, he walked over to the crystal and turned it on. Amy was standing by the table, giving him an impish grin.

"If you don't stop kicking me in the bum…" the Doctor said to her.

"Why? What you gonna do, Raggedy Man, you can't get me," Amy said smugly.

"John, do something! We must reach the afterlife so I can kick Amelia's bum in return! That woman is driving me to distraction!"

Amy giggled at the stunned look on John's face.

"I'm half human and I don't have my entire Time Lord mind so why are you asking me?" he said.

"Because he's lazy and he doesn't want to admit that he can't get here to get revenge," Amy said.

"Pond, go…float on a cloud somewhere," the Doctor said to her.

"I don't float on clouds, that's a myth," Amy said.

"Rory! Where are you? Control your wife!" the Doctor yelled while everyone laughed.

Rory appeared by the doorway. He had on oven mitts and was holding a small ceramic dish with meatloaf inside it. He was wearing a little apron that said KISS THE DEAD CHEF on it.

"Is something the matter? I was about to put dinner in the oven," Rory said, feigning confusion.

"Nah, the Doctor is just sore that he can't get to us," Amy said, waving her hand dismissively. "Go ahead and put the meatloaf in the oven before Benjamin Franklin comes over."

"Okay," Rory said before vanishing from sight.

"We have dinner parties with famous people," Amy said to everyone. "Most of them knew the Doctor and they have some interesting stories to tell us. So if you don't mind, Ben is coming over and I need to be a good hostess. See ya all later! Bye, Raggedy Man! Bye, River, love! Cheers!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the Doctor muttered as she vanished from view. "So where is Rex then?"

"Out back doing his business. The children wanted us to put him outside so he wouldn't spoil their surprise," Lori said. "I called your other friends and told them about this. Everyone is coming but Jack is in Cardiff and asked if you can go get him? He said he a vortex manipulator but you forbid him from using it so now he has to ask you for rides."

"You don't forbid me, Sweetie," River said to the Doctor.

"Because I know you'll break my arms off if I muck with yours," the Doctor teased his wife. "Okay, I'll go and fetch him then."

"Can I come with you?" Michelle asked him.

"Oh, I suppose so but you must give me something in return," the Doctor said to her.

"What?" Michelle said.

"Say chuffed again."

"Chuffed," Michelle said.

"Ooo, I love hearing her say that," the Doctor squealed while everyone laughed. "Say gutted now."

"Gutted," Michelle said.

"See, she's turning into a British person, just as I planned. Alright, my Bookworm, you can come with me to Torchwood then."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Michelle stood with the Doctor inside the TARDIS while he headed for Cardiff. He looked at Michelle who was staring at the console in fascination and smiled tenderly, imagining her all grown up and being a fulltime companion.

When they landed at Torchwood, he took her hand and they walked to the front door. When he opened it, Jack was standing nearby with Gwen.

"See, this is what happens when you take away my manipulator," Jack said to him as he and Michelle stepped outside. "If you'd let me have it, I wouldn't have to ask you to give me a lift. Not to mention if something happens to any of them, I couldn't get to them fast enough. So can I have my manipulator back?"

The Doctor sighed and nodded. Michelle watched while he used his sonic to fix the manipulator.

"Thank you and I promise I won't muck with time and space," Jack said. "And can Gwen come with us?"

"Nah, there's not enough room," the Doctor said.

Michelle giggled at Jack's withering look.

"Yeah, right, Doctor," he said.

"Seriously. Michelle is huge and tubby and she takes up nearly the entire ship. I have to hold my breath and suck in my gut just to fly my ship," the Doctor said, patting Michelle on the head. "She needs to drop a ton of weight, bless."

"You actually like this guy?" Jack said, bending down to her.

"Yup, he makes me laugh," Michelle said.

"He makes me laugh too," Jack said. "So is this your daily companion training then?"

"Yup," Michelle said while the Doctor patted her head.

Jack took her hand and they, Gwen and the Doctor got back in the TARDIS. The Doctor set a course for the Stevens house but while they were flying back, something suddenly jerked the TARDIS off course. Michelle screamed as the TARDIS lurched and Jack dove her for as she slid towards the front stairs. Gwen yelled in alarm when Jack was too late and the two of them rolled down the front stairs. The Doctor gritted his teeth and hung on for dear life, watching while a dazed Jack crawled slowly over to Michelle who was stunned and lying on the floor by the door. Then suddenly, the TARDIS stopped and powered down. The Doctor staggered over towards the steps and flew down them while Gwen let go and stood up. The Doctor and Jack knelt by Michelle.

"Shelly, are you okay?" the Doctor said, his hearts racing.

"I guess," Michelle said softly as she slowly moved her body. "Why did you do that?"

"I didn't, Bookworm, something pulled the TARDIS and I couldn't control it."

He and Jack helped her stand up while Gwen came down the stairs. Jack asked Gwen if she was okay and Gwen nodded before moving to Michelle and embracing her from behind. Then they heard a knock at the front door and the Doctor turned towards it. He held up his hand, telling everyone else to stay back before he moved towards the door cautiously and slowly opened it. He peeked out and groaned.

"What? What is it?" Jack asked.

"Judoon," the Doctor said to him. "I think we're inside the Shadow Proclamation."

"Why?" Jack said.

The Doctor held up his finger and stepped outside.

"What's the Shadow Proclamation then?" Gwen asked.

"Sort of space police force," Jack said. "You okay, Shelly?"

Michelle nodded. She took Jack's hand while the three of them stood by the door. The Doctor looked inside and beckoned to them to come out. When they stepped outside, both Michelle and Gwen gasped when they saw several Judoon standing in front of the TARDIS.

"It's okay, they won't hurt you," the Doctor said to them. "What do you want?" he said to the Judoon.

"I want you, Doctor."

They looked to the left when the Shadow Architect came down the stairway. Michelle's eyes boggled when she saw the albino woman.

"Wow, she's got very pale skin," she said softly to Jack.

"She's albino, Shelly," Jack whispered back.

"So what now?" the Doctor said to the Shadow Architect as she crossed the room. "I was going to a party and you interrupted me."

"I apologize for the interruption, Doctor, but you are needed urgently," the Architect said as she stepped in front of the Judoon.

"I'm always urgently needed but sometimes I like to relax and take it easy," the Doctor said to her. "But curiosity compels me to ask…what do you need me so urgently for?"

"We have detected a large gap in the fabric of reality," the Architect said.

"And?" the Doctor said. "Gaps aren't uncommon."

"But it appears something has come through one," the Architect said.

"Wait, how long ago was this? Because I have friends that recently escaped from another universe and it might be them," the Doctor said.

"It has occurred within the past few days," the Architect said.

"Oh. So it's not Rose and John then," the Doctor said. "What came across then?"

"A large orb."

The Doctor frowned and glanced at Jack.

"You're sure it just happened? Because our friends came across in a large orb," he said to her.

"We are very sure, Doctor," the Architect said. "We would like you to investigate it."

"Me? You're the one that detected it. Why don't you investigate?"

"Because your TARDIS is better equipped to handle something such as this," the Architect said, gesturing to the time ship.

"And then what? You want me to bring it back so you can poke at it with a stick?" the Doctor said with a shrug.

Michelle giggled at the peeved look on the Architect's face but shut up when the Architect glared at her. The Doctor let out a sigh.

"Fine, I'll see what it is when I'm through attending my party…"

"Now, Doctor!" the Architect said.

"What? I doubt it'll do anything while I'm off for the night," the Doctor said.

"We want to know what it is and what it's doing here. If you don't go, I will send the Judoon to go with you and make sure you go now."

"Oh blimey, no. I don't want those muscle headed gits anywhere near my ship," the Doctor said, holding up his hands.

He ignored the Judoon's angry growls and let out another sigh.

"Fine, fine, we'll swing by and check it out. Where is it?"

The Architect signaled to one of the Judoon and he handed her a small handheld device that resembled a Kindle. She handed it to the Doctor.

"This is the location of the orb and what we know about it," the Architect said.

"Fine. I'll check it out and let you know what it is," the Doctor said.

"See that you do. The universe might be threatened."

"The universe is always threatened and I'm only one man," the Doctor muttered as he beckoned for his friends to get back inside the TARDIS.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"So here I am again, running errands for people too lazy to do it themselves," the Doctor said to his friends while the TARDIS flew towards the coordinates indicated on the handheld device.

"I want to see stuff," Michelle said as she stood beside him.

The Doctor bent over and pointed to his bum.

"There, there's a moon for ya," he said, standing back up.

Gwen stared at him in shock while Jack sniggered.

"Wow, wasn't expecting that after all the things Jack told me about you," she said while Michelle giggled.

"Why? What has Jack told you?" the Doctor said warily.

"He told me you were ancient and wise but here you are, showing your bum to a little child," Gwen said.

"Well, as I always say, what's the point of being an adult if you can't act childish sometimes? And what else has he said about me? Because I'm sure there's more, lots more that can't be said in front of children."

"Um…yeah," Gwen said while Jack shushed her.

"Thought so," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes while Michelle giggled.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

When the TARDIS finally stopped, the Doctor and his friends walked to the front door. The Doctor opened it and looked out into deep space. The Doctor scanned the area but couldn't see any orb.

"Ooo…"

The Doctor looked down at Michelle who was standing beside him. She was pointing out and he followed her finger and saw a nebula cloud that he hadn't paid attention to in his first scan.

"That's pretty," Michelle said, looking at him.

"Ah, yes. That's the Mermaid Nebula," the Doctor said, putting his arm around her. "Gorgeous, isn't it?"

Michelle stared at the mermaid shaped purple and orange gas cloud in enraptured silence. The Doctor patted her shoulder before continuing his search for the void ship.

"I don't see anything," the Doctor said. "Perhaps it moved on," he said to Jack and Gwen while they looked out the door. "I suppose we'll have to track it."

"How far out are we?" Gwen said.

"From the Earth, you mean? Oh, we're about ten light years away," the Doctor said. "Hear that, Shelly, you're ten light years away and looking at something that no one's seen with the naked eye."

"It's pretty," Michelle said, pointing to the nebula.

"Yes, it is. But you need to step back so I can shut the doors now," the Doctor said.

His friends stepped back and the Doctor shut the door. He raced back up the steps to the console and did a quick scan of the area. He frowned when the scans didn't pick up anything.

"Not a sausage," he said to his friends while they joined him on the console platform. "That shouldn't be if it's a void ship, they don't travel that fast. I'll run another scan, just to be certain."

He tried again and shook his head when the scan turned up negative.

"Nope, nothing," he said to his friends.

"Maybe the weird white lady's drunk," Michelle said.

The Doctor sniggered.

"Yes, the weird white lady had a bit too much to drink and she's seeing rips in the universe," he said, patting her head. "That's what comes of spending all your time with Judoon."

"So what do we do now?" Jack said.

"Well, I just did a scan in a five light year radius and nothing. So I suppose we report back to her. But since there's nothing here, I'm going back to my party," the Doctor said. "The weird white lady can wait!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

When the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors, Rex was there to greet him, wagging his tail while the Doctor grinned and rubbed his head.

"Reggie, there you are!" he said while Rex barked hello. "I missed you, old friend!"

He let everyone come out of the TARDIS before shutting the doors. He rushed past everyone and made a beeline into the lounge.

"I'M HERE, ROSE, WORSHIP ME!" he bellowed as soon as he ran through.

He stopped and froze in an embarrassed silence. Now there were more people besides the Stevens family, John, Rose, River and Donna. Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, Wilf, Sylvia and Luke were sitting on the chairs and sofa. They'd been chatting but when the Doctor burst into the room and yelled, all of them shut up and stared at him. Rose giggled when the Doctor turned beet red and coughed nervously.

"Sorry, I didn't know you lot showed up," he said to the newcomers.

"So, I'm to worship you then?" Rose said, amused, while everyone else laughed hysterically.

"Um…yes, worship me," the Doctor said, walking over to her. "I'm your god."

"Yeah, right," Rose said, hugging him.

"Yes, folks, he's still arrogant after all these years," Jack said as he, Gwen and Michelle came into the room.

"Nah, just trying to take the mickey out of my Rosie," the Doctor said, patting her on the head.

"Hey, we saw these rhino people when we went to this place," Michelle told everyone. "And this weird white skinned lady, she was odd looking."

John looked at the Doctor.

"The Shadow Proclamation is visiting Cardiff then?" he asked the Doctor.

"No…we were pulled to them," the Doctor said.

"Why?" John said.

The Doctor explained what happened. John and Rose looked at each other and John stopped him after he finished telling them about the orb sighting.

"And they're sure it's an orb like the one we used?" John said.

"I don't know, they just said it was an orb," the Doctor said.

"Love, did they have another void orb at Torchwood?" John said to Rose.

"I…I'm not sure. They had tons of stuff, could have. But I never saw more than one," Rose said.

"Are you thinking those…aliens came over here?" Donna said to the Doctor.

"I don't know. I hope not but I ran a scan when I went to the coordinates they gave me and I found nothing for a five light year radius and a void ship doesn't move that fast."

He looked around, suddenly realizing that the crystal was turned off and Amy and Rory weren't visible. He started to go towards the box but River ran up to him.

"Amy said they wanted privacy," River said. "That's why we turned it off."

"They have all of eternity," the Doctor said to her. "I need to ask her and Rory a question. I'll turn it off once I'm finished."

He turned the crystal on and everyone turned to see Amy and Rory sitting at a floating table with an elderly man with long grey hair and bifocals. The man was dressed like a man from the 1700's and he was drinking wine along with Amy and Rory while they laughed. They stopped laughing and Amy sighed.

"See, I told ya he wouldn't listen," Amy said to Rory.

"Who's that?" Michelle said, pointing to the elderly man.

"It's Benjamin Franklin," Brittany said. "Amy said they were going to party with him earlier."

"Correct," Amy said, nodding to Brittany. "We are having a nice dinner and a chat and that's why we asked for privacy."

"Doctor," Ben said, pointing to him. "Hello again."

"Hello, Ben, nice to see you again," the Doctor said, nodding.

"I was just telling your friends about the time you tried to help me with my electricity experiment and you nearly electrocuted yourself," Ben said, gesturing to Amy and Rory.

"I did not," the Doctor said while everyone else laughed. "He's lying."

Ben shared a knowing look with Amy and Rory.

"Anyway, what did you want?" Amy said to him.

The Doctor explained about the orb before asking them if they detected it lately.

"No. Because we've been here," Amy said, holding up her wine glass. "But I can check, wait a tic."

The Doctor waited for her to leave but she sat there and stared at them.

"Well?" the Doctor said after a moment of inactivity.

"I'm checking," Amy said.

"No, you're not, you're sitting there," the Doctor said.

"I don't think we said anything about bilocation," Rory said to his wife.

"What's that?" the Doctor said.

"Since we don't have physical bodies any longer, our souls can split in two and be in two places at once," Amy said to him. "That's how we keep an eye on you and on them," she said, pointing to Lori and Jim. "All souls can do this but some of the more advanced souls like Jesus or Buddha can do it multiple times so they can be everywhere that people need them. But…while I'm here staring at you, I'm also asking the council members if they've seen anything."

"Council members?" the Doctor said.

"Heavenly body of elders, governs and keeps their eyes on things around here," Rory said. "They know everything pretty much. If anybody knows about another orb, it'd be them."

"And they say there was an orb that came through," Amy said, her face scrunched up in concentration. "But then a massive ship came through after it and took it inside its hull and zoomed away from there at warp speed."

"Massive ship?" the Doctor said with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, that's what they said," Amy said with a shrug.

"And it zoomed away?"

Amy nodded.

"Yeah, they said at warp speed so by the time you got there and did the scan…"

"It was out of range," the Doctor said, interrupting Amy. "So I'll have to go back and do another scan for it."

"No need, they said it's coming towards Earth," Amy said.

Rose blanched and John tried to take her hand but she got up and left the room. John and the Doctor shared a glance. The Doctor nodded and asked everyone to wait for them while he and John followed Rose.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Rose made her way to the bedroom she shared with John and sat down on the side of the bed. She tried to keep her emotions under control because she figured her husband would be along any moment. Sure enough, she saw a shadow in the light from the doorway but when she looked up, she was surprised to see the Doctor with him.

"What is it, Rose?" John said as they came towards her.

"Guess," Rose said angrily.

"You're terrified the Brotherhood followed us," John said. "She's had nightmares about this since we got over here," he said to the Doctor. "So what's your opinion? Do you think it's them?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said as he sat down beside Rose. "It could be them, it could be someone else. There are thousands of universes; one of them might have void travel."

"But Amy said they're heading for Earth," Rose said as John sat down on the other side and took her hand. "If the Brotherhood found the dimension cannon, they would have seen the coordinates for this universe and if they came here, they could just scan for Earth. We were so thick. We should have fixed it so the information was deleted after we left. But we were so weak and in such a big hurry and now…"

"Rose, things are different now," the Doctor said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"How?" Rose said to him.

"Now, there's all these people who can band together to protect and save the world. Now we have professionals. It isn't Pete Tyler and the Scooby Doo Squad. Let them try to come here," the Doctor said.

John held up his hand for silence and pointed to the doorway. They saw Michelle and Mandy peeking around the corner. Michelle took Mandy's hand and they walked into the room.

"We can help," Michelle said as she and her sister walked over to Rose. "We can help protect the Earth."

Rose smiled and held her arms open wide, embracing them both.

"Thank you," Rose said to them as she hugged them tight.

The Doctor stared at the children while they hugged Rose. Then he heard Lori calling for Michelle and Mandy and he told them to wait while he went out into the hallway.

"Did Shelly and Mandy come this way?" Lori said, exasperated.

"Yes, they did," the Doctor said.

"Uggh, I turn around for one moment…"

"Listen, Lori. I think I should take you and your family and John and Rose somewhere," the Doctor said softly. "Everyone is worried that this orb and ship belongs to the Brotherhood and they've come looking for Rose and John. If they locate them, you're gonna be in danger. Please let me take you somewhere…or at least stay inside the TARDIS, that would be the safest place of all."

"Are you sure it might be them?" Lori said softly.

"I don't know but I want to investigate. But I want you all safe while I do it. If this lot is gonna invade this Earth, I want my friends and family inside my TARDIS instead of a concentration camp. Will you let me do this?"

"Mommy, are we gonna have a party?" Mandy said as she came out of the room and walked over to her.

"Baby, I don't know, we're a little busy right now," Lori said.

"How about a party in the TARDIS?" the Doctor said, bending down to Mandy. "The TARDIS has many rooms, including rooms for partying. We could all have fun in there."

"Are you coming?" Mandy asked as the Doctor picked her up and held her close to him.

"I'll be in there but I have to go back and forth because I'm trying to find out what this spaceship is," the Doctor said. "Would you like to do that?"

"I can help you like Shelly can," Mandy said.

The Doctor chuckled.

"Bookworm and her want to help us defend Earth," the Doctor said to Lori.

"I think you'll have to wait till you're a bit older, honey," Lori said, ruffling Mandy's hair.

"Sweetie?"

The Doctor looked around Lori's shoulder and saw River walking up to them.

"Is everything alright?" River said.

The Doctor explained what was going on and River nodded.

"I would take his advice," River said, coming up to Lori's side. "Just to be on the safe side."

"Okay, I'll tell Jim about this," Lori said. "Can you watch Mandy and Shelly for a moment?"

"Happy to," the Doctor said.

Lori ruffled Mandy's hair before hurrying back down the hallway.

"If it is them, I'm assuming we're going to be stopping them this time?" River said sweetly.

"To prevent them destroying another Earth? You better believe it," the Doctor said.

"I'll help!" Mandy said.

River chuckled while the Doctor held Mandy close.

"You have a volunteer then," she said, rubbing Mandy's back while she laid her head on the Doctor's shoulder.

"Yes, they're getting younger and younger," the Doctor said. "Then again, I'm getting younger and younger."

"Yes, I noticed that," River said.

"How do you know about that?" the Doctor said.

"You forget, love, I needed the Spotter's Guide for a reason. I've seen your younger lives. And I have to say, compared to life number one, you're practically a fetus."

"Gee, thanks, dear," the Doctor said while River chuckled and patted his cheek.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Everyone went into the TARDIS after the Doctor told them what was happening. He promised to have the party inside it and to flit in and out of it while he was trying to find the ship. Lori and Jim told their family to pack a few essential belongings just in case and Mandy made sure to get her panda bear before everyone went inside the time ship. Everyone went into the kitchen except for the Doctor, River, Rose, John, Jack, Donna, Martha and Sarah Jane. They were standing around the console discussing recent events and what they needed to do about it.

"So do we track them then?" Martha asked them. "Scan for any ships in the vicinity of Earth and investigate?"

"That might do for starters but we need to find a way to stop them," the Doctor said. "And if this ship can get through the void, how many others could as well?"

"An armada?" Sarah Jane.

"That's what they did the last time," John said. "Put ships over every major city on Earth."

"And Earth doesn't know about them," Jack said. "Which means they could be fooled like the other Earth into believing they're peaceful."

John snorted at that.

"They're about as peaceful as a heart attack," he said to them. "And just as unpleasant."

"I have a thought," Sarah Jane said.

"Yeah?" the Doctor said, walking over to her.

"If this Brotherhood is searching for John and Rose. Perhaps we can use them as bait and use the protection of the TARDIS at the same time. Perhaps find an uninhabited planet and lure them there."

"Keep them away from Earth," Jack said, nodding.

The Doctor thought about that.

"If they're coming here, they must want John and Rose badly," the Doctor mused as he leaned back against his console.

"Or they're greedy and want another world to strip," River added.

"Oh, they're greedy all right," Rose said while John nodded.

The Doctor thought some more.

"We could find an uninhabited world, yes. But at the same time we could find some more allies. Someone who could help us defeat and contain them," the Doctor said. "That will take a bit of thought though. There are many allies."

"Assemble a fighting force then," River said. "Like you did for Demon's Run."

"Well, I have the start of one here," the Doctor said, gesturing to everyone. "But yes, we could find others who will help us. After hearing Rose and John's story, we'll need all the help we can get."

While they were talking, Michelle was standing just inside the back door with a tray filled with cups of tea that her mother had given to take to everyone. She had been listening to the conversation and sighed softly.

"I wish I was old enough to help," she whispered to herself before she went into the console room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

After giving everyone their drinks, Michelle carried the tray back to the kitchen where a small get-together was in progress. Michelle loved being around everyone but it upset her that the people she cared about were being hunted down and targeted by the aliens that hurt them the first time and now the Doctor and everyone else had to stop what they were doing to tend to it.

While she walked down the corridors in a deep sadness, she suddenly noticed the roundel lights around her were changing colors and she stopped to watch the light show. Occasionally, there were spotlights that appeared on the ceiling above her and Michelle giggled at the colored light show that was happening around her and she felt her spirits lift a bit. Then the TARDIS played Everybody, Backstreet's Back for her and the lights changed and synced up with the song. Michelle laughed at that and walked over to the wall, patting it the way the Doctor showed her.

"You're magical," she said to the ceiling. "You're the most magical thing in the whole universe!"

She sighed and put her hand against the wall.

"I wish I could help the Doctor now instead of waiting," she said to the ceiling. "You're lucky; you don't have to grow up so you can help the Doctor. I gotta wait."

Michelle put the tray on the floor beside her, leaned against the wall and sank down. She brought her knees up to her chest and put her arms around them while she listened to the music. The lights stopped flashing and Michelle frowned when one single white spotlight shone down from the ceiling onto her.

"Um…that's annoying," Michelle said, squinting while she tried to look up at it.

"Yes?"

Michelle looked over when the Doctor walked up to her.

"Huh?" Michelle said to him.

"The TARDIS told me to come here, did you need something?" the Doctor said to her.

"I…" Michelle closed her mouth, figuring it wouldn't matter since the Doctor would tell her she was too young anyway.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the Doctor said, sitting down beside her.

"Nothing," Michelle said softly while she shook her head and stared at the floor.

"Really? Because the TARDIS is throwing a spotlight on you which tells me she wants to direct my attention to you. You can tell me, Bookworm, we're mates," the Doctor said, putting his hand on her head.

"I heard you talking about finding another planet and fighting the aliens there," Michelle said to him. "I just wish I could help."

"I know, love," the Doctor said, patting her head. "But…"

He shut up when the TARDIS began to rumble at him.

"What?" the Doctor said in disbelief.

"She said rumble, rumble, rumble, I guess," Michelle said.

The Doctor chuckled at that.

"No, I heard her but…are you sure?" he said to the ceiling.

The TARDIS rumbled again and Michelle frowned, wondering what was going on between them.

"But what will her mother think?" the Doctor said to the ceiling.

"My mommy will think her own thoughts," Michelle said to him.

The Doctor tried not to grin at that but a smile spread over his face while the TARDIS talked to him. The TARDIS finished rumbling and the Doctor sighed as he got up.

"What's going on?" Michelle asked him.

"Well, the TARDIS is keen to grant your wish to help me," the Doctor said.

Michelle's eyes widened and she grinned.

"Not so fast, there's a catch to it," the Doctor said.

The smile fell off Michelle's face and she sighed deeply as she looked at the floor.

"You didn't let me finish," the Doctor said, amused. "Are you going to be this sulky when you're a full time companion? I had sulky companions, mind. But I liked the ones that let me finish what I wanted to say. Will you let me do that?"

Michelle nodded and looked up.

"You…in this body are still too young to help me."

He paused.

"Gonna sulk again?" he teased.

Michelle giggled and shook her head.

"Go on," she said.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, please. "As I was saying, you at the moment are too young to help so we'll have to go get your future self."

"Ooo," Michelle said, intrigued.

"But…you need to go somewhere else because I won't risk you mucking up future events or vise versa. I know that my tenth self interacted with us but a Time Lord knows how to better deal with paradoxes like that, a human doesn't."

"So what do we do?" Michelle said.

"Let's talk to your parents, come on," he said, standing up.

Michelle stood up and took his hand while they walked back to the kitchen. Once he was there, he took Jim and Lori aside and Michelle stood with them while he told them what was happening. Lori and Jim looked at their daughter while he spoke.

"So…where should she go then while her older self comes here?" Lori said.

"Well, the TARDIS is vast and she can take her somewhere where she can have fun and be monitored. In fact, the children could go with her and keep her company. In fact…"

He thought to his ship for a moment and then opened his eyes.

"The TARDIS says she could make an amusement park for them here in the ship. They'd be safe and secure and protected and the TARDIS would watch over them and bring them back when they were done."

"Cool," Michelle said.

"But then you personally wouldn't be helping the Doctor," Lori said to her.

"Yeah but older Michelle would and if I could have fun in the TARDIS, I wouldn't mind it," Michelle said.

Lori looked at Jim.

"What do you think?" she said.

"Well, if we're going to be here for awhile, this is the best place for them. They're gonna get bored really quickly, especially Mandy. If the TARDIS can keep them amused and protected, I think that's a good thing."

"You can go with them as well," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS can provide for you as well."

"Yes, but I'm a bit curious about my older daughter…or would that mess with time?" Lori said.

"Well, you can see her and say hello," the Doctor said. "I was just thinking that you might like to go somewhere as well and rest. My TARDIS is vast, she could create a resort paradise for the two of you and you could be alone together while the children had fun in their own separate space. And if you missed them, the TARDIS can bring you together. All you have to do is talk to her and tell her your wishes."

"The TARDIS is very magical," Michelle said.

"Yes, she is," the Doctor said, putting his hand on her head. "She's wonderful. I couldn't live without her."

"But will older Michelle be alright?" Lori said.

"Well, I hope so. The TARDIS gave me this idea and sometimes she can see things I can't and knows things I don't. Her suggestion to do this isn't random so I think the Michelle of the future is the one that travels with me and I'm sure she's just as equipped to fight aliens as my other companions are."

Lori looked at Jim.

"This is taking a very odd turn," she said to him.

"We're standing inside a bigger than the outside time machine with a thousand year old alien and you're thinking seeing our grown future daughter is an odd turn," he said.

"You know what I mean," Lori said, rolling her eyes and grinning while the Doctor and Michelle giggled. "If this is what you want to do, go ahead. Just as long as our current Shelly is safe."

"I promise you she will be, the TARDIS will protect her," the Doctor said.

"Okay then, let's tell the others then," Lori said to him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"So…that's the plan apparently," the Doctor said to everyone as they sat and stood inside the TARDIS kitchen. So anyone who wishes to go with the children or wants to go relax while we sort this out can do so. I'm going to go get a few friends and allies to help us in the meantime. I'm not about to let the Brotherhood destroy another Earth. Now before people start volunteering to help me, I will say that no one under the age of twenty is permitted to fight.

He nodded when the teenagers groaned.

"And I realize, Luke, Rani and Clyde that you do help Sarah Jane on a daily basis and you are capable fighters but I'm drawing the line on this one, because I have no idea what the Brotherhood are capable of and because if you help, I'd have to let the other children help and I'm not going to do that. Considered this a holiday for all the times you did help Sarah out. I'm sure you won't be bored while we do this. Having said that, who else among the adults is with me? Raise your hands."

Lori and Jim kept their arms down and so did Sylvia but she gasped when Wilf raised his hand.

"Dad, put your hand down," she said to him.

"Not a chance. I helped the Doctor before and I can do it again," Wilf said. "I'm over the age of twenty so I'm volunteering."

"Doctor, keep my dad safe, would you?" Sylvia said to him.

"I will do everything in my power to do that, Sylvia. I don't want him to die any more than you do."

He looked down when Mandy tugged on his trouser leg.

"Nuh-uh, I just said no one under twenty, Ps and Qs, you can't volunteer," he said, poking her on the top of her head.

"No, you could get the green lady to help," Mandy said.

"Green lady? Oh! Vastra, you mean? Hmmm, yes, I could get her and Jenny and Strax. Thank you, Ps and Qs," he said, patting her on the head.

"What about Jo Grant or I mean, Jo Jones," Sarah Jane said.

"And do you know where she is at the moment, Sarah?" the Doctor said.

"Um…not exactly," Sarah Jane said. "But at the very least, we ought to bring her and Santiago on board, to protect them. We could also get K9, of course."

"What about some of our family members?" Lori said. "Can we go and get them and bring them here to be safe?"

"You mean Dan and Ruth and Tom and Alicia?" the Doctor said.

Jim and Lori nodded.

"Okay, we can do that," the Doctor said.

"What about Maria and her dad?" Luke said to Sarah Jane.

"Perhaps. But we have to draw the line somewhere," Sarah said. "We can ask but the Doctor can't put the whole Earth inside here and he can't waste a lot of time zipping around picking up people."

"Thank you, Sarah," the Doctor said. "I suggest you ring the people you know who know me and ask them if they want to come on board. As Sarah said, I won't spend all day picking up people but I will save a few more."

Jim and Lori used their mobiles to call Dan, Ruth, Alicia and Tom to explain the situation to them while Luke phoned Maria. Luke shook his head when he finished talking to Maria.

"Maria and her dad said no, they said they'd wait and see what happened first," Luke said to Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane told the Doctor about it and the Doctor nodded.

"Doctor, Dan and Ruth and Alicia and Tom want to come but they're gathering in Alicia and Tom's living room so you'll only have to make one trip," Lori said to him.

"Okay, doing that now then," the Doctor said, going to the console.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Thank you, Doctor," Alicia said, kissing his cheek as she and the others came inside. "We told some of the others about it but they want to wait and see what happens first. But if the children need someone to look after them, we can do it."

"Thank you," the Doctor said, hugging Ruth as she came inside. "And I'm sure you want more Ambrosia pies as well."

Ruth and Alicia laughed.

"You know us too well," Alicia said, giving him a teasing poke in the side.

"Did you want to bring anything while you were here?" the Doctor said, looking out the door. "Anything of value?"

"No, the children are the only valuable things we care about," Dan said. "Anything else is inconsequential."

The Doctor nodded and closed the door.

"Right then, I'll ask the TARDIS to make some rooms for you and I believe she's making an amusement park for the children. So if you want to relax in the kitchen, I'll let you know when it's time to go to them."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The Doctor made two more trips, one for Francine and Tish and the other for Rhys and Anwen, who was now two years old. The Doctor smiled at the little child as she held Rhys's hand and came into the TARDIS kitchen. She had dark hair that came down to her shoulders and the Doctor could see the resemblance to Gwen as the toddler looked around. Mandy smiled and walked up to her and Anwen turned her eyes to her.

"Hi, I'm Mandy," Mandy said, hugging her.

"What do you say, love?" Rhys said to his daughter.

Anwen backed away slightly and Mandy frowned.

"She's shy, love," Rhys said gently to Mandy. "She does that with people she doesn't know. Give her time to get used to ya. Gwen said that you're taking volunteers and others are staying with the children. I do know how to fight aliens but I better stay with Anwen, just in case. I don't want our child becoming an orphan."

The Doctor nodded.

"It's nice to see you again, Rhys," he said.

"Likewise, Doctor. I hope you can sort this mess out, we don't need another alien invasion," Rhys said.

"I agree. And now that everyone's been assembled in here, there's one more thing I need to ask," the Doctor said.

He moved to Rose and John and stopped in front of them.

"I said the cutoff age was twenty and you're above that," he said to them. "I can't stop you from fighting but I'm going to ask if you're sure you want to do so because it's only been a few months since you came here and you only recently stopped walking with canes. You're not skeletal but you're still underweight and I'm just concerned about you. So as a formality, I want to ask if you're feeling up to fighting because there's no shame in staying in here and being with the children."

"Rose, stay with the children, you were weaker than I was when we came here and you still have trouble walking sometimes. You try to hide it but I can see it. You don't have to do this and I really would prefer you didn't."

"What about you? You're not exactly in prime condition either," Rose said.

"Yes, but I have Time Lord DNA and I recovered a lot faster than you did. I want to make sure these things are stopped. I promise I will come in here if it gets to be too much for me but I want you to rest and hide."

Rose sighed.

"Doctor, please look after him as well. He only has one life," Rose pleaded.

The Doctor was about to reassure her that he would when the TARDIS suddenly grumbled to him. He stopped to listen for a moment and he could tell John was listening as well. Both men shared a look and the Doctor nodded and beckoned him to follow him.

"Be back in a mo," the Doctor said, calling over his shoulder as they left the room.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

John followed the Doctor to his laboratory.

"The TARDIS has something for me?" John said to him while they walked.

"Seems so," the Doctor said. "John, are you sure you want to do this? You might have gained a bit more weight than Rose but you're still not completely better. You could also fall in battle."

"I want to be a part of this, I want…"

"Revenge," the Doctor said.

"Does that disturb you?" John said as he and the Doctor stopped. "After all, I'm supposed to be the genocidal maniac, right?"

"No, it doesn't disturb me because I would have done the same in your position and I also hunger for revenge, especially after what they did to Rose."

John nodded.

"That's all I care about," he said. "It's not revenge for me, it's revenge for her."

"But be careful, my friend. Don't let revenge cloud your judgment," the Doctor said, putting his hand on John's shoulder. "Don't rush into battle in a weakened state because you want to see the Brotherhood annihilated. It won't do anyone any good for you to die as well."

"I know," John muttered.

"Just giving you a bit of friendly advice," the Doctor said as he turned and headed to the lab.

John grinned.

"Thanks for the advice, Dad!" he said.

He sniggered when the Doctor froze and turned to look at him.

"You are, technically," John said with a shrug. "And Donna's me mum which means that Rose is your daughter in law."

"Oh no, not another complicated family grouping," the Doctor said. "Bad enough I had to figure out how Amy and Rory and River were in relation to me. Now I have a clone son and one of the women I love is my daughter in law."

"Well, you accepted Jenny as your daughter and she came from your hand so if I came from your hand…" he said, holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers.

"Blimey, my life is complicated," the Doctor said, shaking his head while John giggled.

They entered the lab and paused at the doorway.

"Okay, what did you want to show us?" the Doctor said to the ceiling.

The room went dark and the TARDIS shown a spotlight on a ruby gem on a table that was across the room from them. The lights went back on and the Doctor and John walked over to it.

"Pretty but what does this have to do with anything?" John said, looking at the Doctor.

"So?" the Doctor said to the TARDIS.

The TARDIS rumbled to them and both men listened as the TARDIS told John that if he put the ruby on his chest, it would go inside him and provide extra protection, compensating for his human weaknesses.

"So, make me like him without making me like him," John said to the TARDIS as he pointed to the Doctor.

They heard a small cough and turned to see Michelle at the door.

"Boy, this one likes to follow me everywhere," the Doctor said to John while Michelle came inside the room.

"I'm here because my older me is in the TARDIS now," Michelle said to the Doctor when she walked to him. "Mommy told me to come in here in case I'm not supposed to look at her."

"You can look at her but I was worried about you and her changing your future," the Doctor said. "But that's not important right now; the important thing is…how did she get in here?"

"She teleported in, she said," Michelle said with a shrug.

"Teleported in?" the Doctor said, looking at John.

"Apparently, our little friend is smarter than we thought," John said.

The Doctor was torn between wanting to go and see her and finishing up the ruby thing in the lab. John sensed his dilemma and shrugged as he put the ruby in his pocket.

"I can do this later, nothing is gonna happen inside the TARDIS," he said to the Doctor.

"Are you sure about that? Because Shelly just managed to get in here without an invitation," the Doctor said. "But never mind that, let's go and meet your older self."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"There she is," Michelle said, pointing to an older woman at the center of attention inside the TARDIS kitchen.

The Doctor froze. Older Michelle looked the same as she did when he met her at Christmas but instead of the slinky dress, she was dressed in black jeans, black leather boots, a white t-shirt and an aviator's jacket.

"Wow," John said behind him. "She certainly became a woman."

The Doctor looked at Older Michelle and then looked down at Michelle beside him and again found that weird sense of being out of place as he looked at the child sized version of the woman standing in front of him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle everyone," Older Michelle said to them.

"How did you get in here?" the Doctor said, shaking off his shock.

"Teleported in," Older Michelle said. "The big transmat room you have."

"How do you know how to do that?" the Doctor said.

"You taught me, duh!" Older Michelle said with a grin.

"Why do I keep teaching people to infiltrate my TARDIS and run it?" the Doctor said. "First River, now you."

"Um…" River said, holding up her finger. "You didn't teach me, Sweetie, the TARDIS did. So blame her if you want. Besides, even if she knew how to get in here," River said, pointing to Older Michelle, "shouldn't your ship be able to stop her?"

Older Michelle giggled when the Doctor glared at the ceiling.

"I wasn't ready," the Doctor said to his ship. "I was busy with John and had to stop that to come in here and deal with this."

"You didn't have to," Older Michelle said, shrugging. "I was just saying hello to everyone. Trust me, Slime Monster, I know better than to seize the controls from your elderly hands and fly your precious TARDIS."

Michelle giggled.

"Slime Monster," she said while the Doctor eyed her. "I like that."

"Great, give your younger self ideas, why don't you?" the Doctor said, throwing up his hands.

"Oh, whinge, whinge, whinge, put on your big boy pants and act like a Time Lord!" Older Michelle said.

Everyone laughed hysterically when the Doctor's mouth dropped open at that.

"Well?" Older Michelle said, amused. "I think you were warned I'd be coming and to save time, I just transmatted in here. What? You want to go to some distant planet and pick me up there?"

"No, but you're…cheeky," the Doctor said.

"And you're not?" Older Michelle said. "Besides, I've grown up around Rose and John and Amy and Rory and all these people and I learned to be just as cheeky as they are. You have to be a bit cheeky in order to match wits with you, Dumb-bulldore."

"Dumb-bulldore, I like that too," Michelle said, nodding.

"Okay, I think it's time for everyone not adult to go away now," the Doctor said while everyone laughed. "Especially the younger version of Miss Cheeky here before she gets any more ideas."

"Look, just let her be, I'll take myself out of the room," Older Michelle said. "Whatever you were doing with John, I'll go there. That way you can interrogate me further to see if I'm a dastardly spy or not."

"Yes, come with us," the Doctor said, beckoning to her.

"See ya guys later," Older Michelle said with a wave as she followed the Doctor and John out of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

John looked back at Older Michelle while they walked back to the lab.

"This is beyond weird, seeing her like this," John said to the Doctor.

"Now you know how I feel when I look at you," the Doctor said to him while Older Michelle chuckled.

The Doctor frowned when Older Michelle put her index finger against his temple and made a humming sound. She chuckled again when he gave her a confused look.

"I'm implanting my will into your mind," she said. "Now you're my slave."

John chuckled at the bemused look on the Doctor's face.

"Well, if I'm a dangerous assassin, I might as well make my move," Older Michelle said with a shrug. "So now you're my helpless puppet. Dance, puppet!"

"I see things haven't changed much," John said to the Doctor.

"Yes, she's still cheeky, only taller," the Doctor replied.

"So, convinced I'm not here to kill you?" Older Michelle said to him.

"I never thought you were here to kill me, I just don't like people entering my TARDIS without my permission," the Doctor said to her.

"You did give me permission, the future you did," Older Michelle said. "Wasn't my idea, you told me I had to come here and help so I did."

They entered the lab. Older Michelle stood behind the Doctor and watched with interest while John pulled the gem out of his pocket and looked at it.

"So, I put this against my chest then?" John said, turning it over in his hand.

"Apparently so," the Doctor said. "I think you better lay down though, just in case."

John nodded. He hopped up onto a metal lab table, took off his shirt and laid back while the Doctor took the gem and shirt from him. Michelle came in closer to observe and when the Doctor glanced at her from across the table, she grinned.

"Dance, puppet," she said.

"Be quiet, cheeky," he said to her while she snickered.

He placed the gem between John's breasts and waited. For a moment, nothing happened.

"It's cold," John said. "Is that all it's s'posed to…"

He gasped and the Doctor watched in shock as the gem suddenly sank into his skin as if by osmosis and began to bury itself in John's chest.

"I liked it better when it was just cold!" John shrieked as the gem went deeper into his chest.

The Doctor started to pull at the gem and yank it out when Older Michelle grabbed his arm.

"No, he'll be alright, I promise," she said.

The Doctor gazed into her eyes for a moment before nodding. Older Michelle let go of his arm and the Doctor watched as the gem disappeared beneath John's skin. Surprisingly, the ordeal left no blood or scarring and the skin was the same as it was, as if nothing had happened. John let out a sigh of relief as the pain subsided and he sat up and examined his skin.

"So it's inside me now?" John said to the Doctor.

He noticed the odd look on the Doctor's face.

"What? What's wrong?" he said to the Doctor.

"That play you did for me when you were a child, something about a purple gem residing in my body?" the Doctor said to Older Michelle.

"Purple gem?" John said while Older Michelle giggled and nodded.

"It's some cheeky play they did where they pretended they were about to dissect me to get some alien gem inside my body. It just hit me that now there really is an alien gem inside my body, sorta," he said to John.

"As long as it doesn't kill me," John said, hopping off the table and taking his shirt from the Doctor.

He put it back on while he gazed at Older Michelle.

"So how long have you been a companion to the Doctor then," he said to her.

"In what way? Traveling with him or married to him?" Older Michelle said.

John froze halfway through putting his shirt on and gave her a shocked look. Older Michelle held up her wrist and showed him the wedding bracelet.

"What happened to Riv…well, I mean I know what happens to River but you're not that old. You got over River that quickly?" John said to the Doctor.

"I don't know. Why are you asking me? This is in my future," the Doctor said. "I mean, I saw her older self at one point and it was on her honeymoon but that's all I know."

"Spoilers, as my aunt would say," Older Michelle said. "But I will say that River is out of the picture when he and I marry."

"Well, that's nice. I'm glad you're not marrying over her corpse," John said. "But I never thought the two of you…I mean, I know you're fond of her and you're best mates but…"

John shook his head.

"Of course I'm a clone that marries the former girlfriend of an alien time traveling man so who am I to judge on strange relationships?" he said. "Just as long as you're happy."

"We're very happy," Older Michelle said. "And I'm more than capable of holding my own in battle. I learned from the best," she said, patting the Doctor's shoulder. "Oh! And I learned to be British, so that should make you happy," she added with a wink.

"Well, good, I'm glad," the Doctor said.

Older Michelle smirked.

"I lied. MACARONI AND CHEESE!" she yelled.

"Blimey, you really haven't changed much, have you?" John said to her.

"Well, I figured I have a choice. Either show the Doctor my sultry, seductive side which might make him uncomfortable, given he's still married to River or show him the side he's used to, which is Bookworm."

"Yeah, you could be a bit more adult without the slinkiness," the Doctor said.

"As you wish," Older Michelle said.

She paused for a moment and then grinned as she put her finger against his temple and hummed again.

"Sorry, had to get that out before I became fully mature," she said, patting his cheek.

"She's going to be a handful, I can just tell," the Doctor said to John while Michelle chuckled and put her arm around him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

By the time they got back to the kitchen, most of the noncombatants were gone. Only Jim and Lori were left.

"The TARDIS was ready for them," Lori said to the Doctor. "She used the voice interface thing to talk to us and opened up a doorway. She had one for us as well but we wanted to see our older daughter again before we left.

Lori and Jim walked over to Older Michelle and embraced her. The Doctor came around so he could observe Older Michelle's face. He noticed she was trying not to cry and he wondered how long it had been since she'd seen her parents. She had hinted that she was older than she looked when he saw her on her honeymoon night. It frustrated him that she was being vague about most things, just like River did. But he could still read her face and now he saw a hint of the sad little child as Older Michelle hugged her parents.

"You be careful, okay?" Lori said, cupping her face when she got done hugging her.

"I will, Mom," Older Michelle said.

"I second that and come back safe to us," Jim said as he stepped forward to hug her again.

"I will, Dad," Older Michelle said.

She hugged them both one more time before Lori told the TARDIS they were ready. A doorway opened up in the kitchen wall and Lori and Jim waved to everyone and wished them luck before going through it. The wall closed up and the Doctor turned to the remainder of his friends and family.

"Okay, now that the people we care about are hidden safely deep within the TARDIS. I suppose we could start finding others to join our cause," he said to them.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

(London, England, 1889…)

Madame Vastra came into the kitchen and paused for a moment to sniff the air. Her wife, Jenny, was cooking supper for them and she relished the smell of baking meat. Jenny was at the stove, stirring something in a big pot when Vastra came further into the room.

"Roast and potatoes?" she asked Jenny.

"Yes and green beans," Jenny said, pointing to the pot.

"Sounds delicious and will you be the sweet later on?" Vastra purred in her ear as she got closer to her.

"If you want," Jenny said in a seductive voice.

Vastra was about to lean in for a kiss when they heard the front door bell ring.

"Strax, get that for me!" Vastra called out. "I'm busy."

"At once, Madam," Strax called back.

"Now, where were we?" Vastra said softly in Jenny's ear.

Jenny giggled when she licked her ear and growled into it.

"Madam Vastra!" Strax called out.

"Argh, can we roast him as well. He's potato shaped," Vastra said to Jenny. "What is it?" she yelled out while Jenny chuckled.

"It's the Doctor, Madam," Strax called out. "Shall I let him in?"

"You better let me in!" the Doctor called out.

Vastra looked at Jenny.

"Better go see what he wants," Jenny said to her.

"Oh, if I must," Vastra said with a sigh.

She rubbed Jenny's cheek before heading to the front door. The Doctor was standing on the top step with an exasperated look on his face while Strax barred him from entering.

"Call off the guard dog, would you? It's me," the Doctor said, pointing to Strax.

"I am not permitted to allow anyone entrance unless Madam Vastra wills it, sir," Strax said to the Doctor.

"I am not anyone, I'm the Doctor and she knows me. Now step aside, Spud for Brains."

"Let him enter, Strax," Vastra said.

"At last," the Doctor muttered when Strax stepped away form the doorway.

"And to what do we owe the honor of this visit, Doctor?" Vastra said as he came inside.

"I need your help. You and Jenny and…"

He looked at Strax.

"And him…I suppose," he muttered as he gestured to Strax.

"What sort of help?" Vastra said.

"Where is Jenny at?"

"In the kitchen cooking supper," Vastra said.

"Let's go in there. She needs to hear it as well," the Doctor said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Everyone…" the Doctor said when he entered the TARDIS kitchen, "may I present Madam Vastra, Jenny Flynn and Strax."

The three of them entered behind the Doctor. Strax was carrying the pan with the roast and potatoes and Jenny was carrying the pot.

"We were in the middle of supper," Vastra said while everyone cleared a pathway to the stove. "We can't fight this Brotherhood lot on an empty stomach."

The Doctor told everyone to get acquainted with them while he headed up to the console room. He entered the room, trying to think of who else to get.

"Love?"

He turned to see River coming into the room after him.

"Yes?" he said.

"Sorry, just thought I might help with some input on who to get for our army," River said. "I also wanted to ask about this older version of Michelle and your feelings about her."

"How d'ya mean?" the Doctor said, wondering if Older Michelle told River about them being married.

"Well, I just thought it'd be a bit unsettling seeing her as an adult now, especially when the child is still inside the TARDIS."

"Yes, it is but…as I was telling John, it's odd seeing me next to me."

River nodded.

"I know she's an adult but I'm going to keep a close eye on her because the last thing I want to see is Jim and Lori seeing their daughter's dead body, even if it is in the future," she said.

"I agree," the Doctor said. "And believe me, I will be watching out for her. I don't know how much training I gave her in future…but then again, if I sent her here, she must be capable enough."

"All the same, I'm going to make sure she's got backup until we know for sure how good she is," River said. "And now that I've said that, what or who do you have in mind for extra help?"

"I think I have someone in mind," the Doctor said. "And for the next candidate, we'll need Jack…"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You're kidding me," John said as he, Jack, River, Donna and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS into a densely wooded area. "Shana? You're asking Shana for help?"

"Shana, who's that?" River said.

"A friend," Jack said as the Doctor shut the TARDIS doors.

"More like a lover," John said.

"That too," Jack conceded. "But she is a very capable fighter and a good choice."

"Capable fighter when she's not shagging Jack," the Doctor said.

"So how do you know this Shana then?" Donna asked as they walked away from the TARDIS.

"When Jack was traveling with my ninth self and Rose. We landed here on a whim, just to explore. This planet is called Mara Soltis and there are a species of fox people here called the Alsoris. Shana is their leader. She thought we were a threat and captured Jack. She was going to interrogate him but apparently it didn't end up that way," he said while Jack chuckled. "When we finally found them, he was her consort. I was thinking of leaving the git behind and letting him be her consort when these poachers from a nearby planet came to get some Alsoris pelts. We helped save her and her people and in return, she told us that she would help us anytime we needed it. I'm going to see if she'll keep her word."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long wooden flute that was carved into the shape of a fox with a long tail. They stopped and listened while the Doctor played a melody on it while he looked up at the treetops.

"What is he doing?" Donna asked Jack.

"She gave that to the Doctor and taught him a melody to play if he wanted to summon her," Jack said to her. "They live in the trees, for the most part. That's why he's looking up while he's doing this."

Donna and River looked up while the Doctor continued to play. At first there was nothing and then they saw branches and limbs rustling as something came towards them. The rustling stopped just above the Doctor's head and the Doctor aimed the flute up while he played it. Then something jumped out of the treetop and landed beside the Doctor. The Doctor stopped playing and smiled.

"Shana, good to see you again," he said.

The woman was an anthropomorphic fox with jet black fur and a long, bushy tail. She wore only a belt around her slender waist that had a knife sheath and a leather bag hanging from it. Her eyes were jet black and sparkled in the sunlight. She bowed to the Doctor.

"You have summoned me, Time Lord. I am here," she said in a husky voice. "What is your desire?"

"I need your help fighting an enemy as I once helped you," the Doctor said. "My adopted homeworld is being threatened and I need fighters."

"Then I am yours to command," Shana said, bowing. "This is my wife, River, and my friends, Donna and John. And you remember Jack, of course."

"Ah, how can I forget my consort?" Shana said, walking over to him.

"Shana, pleasure to see you again," Jack said, taking her slender hand in his and kissing the black fur on the back of it.

"And you, I have missed you greatly," Shana said.

"Um…you two will be fighting during the battle, right?" John said when Jack pulled Shana in close to him. "Because if you're going to bonking, I want my wife back."

"We'll fight," Jack said. "We're just getting reacquainted, aren't we?"

They watched while Shana barked playfully and wrapped her long bushy tail around his body.

"Right, I think we better get back in the TARDIS before they have sex right here," the Doctor said to everyone as he beckoned them to follow him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Once they were back inside the TARDIS, Jack took Shana back to the kitchen to introduce her while John, River and Donna stayed with the Doctor in the console room.

"Any thoughts," he asked them. "I'm open to suggestions."

"What about others who have traveled with you?" Donna said. "I know you have several people in here now but are there others you can ask?"

The Doctor considered that.

"There is Jo but it's hard to pin her down," the Doctor said. "I could ask the TARDIS to run a scan for her but it might take time. She travels all over the world with her grandson and she's never in one place for very long. Hmmm…"

"Ask the TARDIS, sweetie, she'd know who to get for you," River said.

"Okay. TARDIS, can you help locate more allies for us?" the Doctor said.

The TARDIS was silent for a moment before she came to life and headed somewhere. Everyone hung on while she sped to her destination. Five minutes later, the TARDIS landed but before she could power down, they heard a woman's startled scream outside the doors.

"Doctor, damn it, you scared me!" a woman yelled while she knocked on the front door.

"And pissed off woman would be…" River said, looking at him.

"Grace Holloway," the Doctor said. "Excuse me while I sort out Pissed Off Woman."

He hurried down the stairs and opened the door. His companions watched from the console platform, they saw a woman around Donna's age with red hair standing in front of the doorway. She had her hand up, balled and just ready to knock on the door again but she froze when she saw the Doctor.

"Okay, I'm sorry I scared you, won't happen again, Grace," the Doctor said, loving the look of surprise on her face.

"Doctor? Is that you?" Grace said.

"Last time I looked," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah but could you quit changing your body, it's getting confusing trying to keep track," Grace said.

"Well, I try but I keep getting into trouble but you know that."

"Yeah, I know that," Grace said, grinning and rolling her eyes.

"And actually, this is three bodies on from when you last saw me, this is my eleventh body."

"Wow, I have trouble just maintaining the one," Grace said, gesturing to herself. "So, how are you? You have friends you're traveling with?" she said, looking over his shoulder.

"Friends and my wife and family," the Doctor said.

John noticed a slight look of disappointment cross Grace's face for a second before she smiled.

"Congratulations on that then," Grace said.

"Thank you, come inside. My TARDIS has changed as well," the Doctor said, stepping aside.

"I see that, I like it. It's more futuristic than the last time," Grace said, stepping inside and looking around.

The Doctor made quick introductions and Grace shook their hands and said hello before he told her the reason for his visit. Grace listened quietly until he was finished.

"And you think this Brotherhood is coming here now?" Grace said.

"I don't know but I'm not going to let them devastate this Earth like they did the other one," he said.

"Saving Earth is a full time job for you, I gather," Grace said.

"Yeah, pretty much," the Doctor said while his companions chuckled. "But we could use your help. And your surgical skills as well. We have one doctor, Martha Jones, but we could use another one."

"But you're not asking for full time travel, just need help again?" Grace said.

"Yes. And I can take you back to this point in time once we're finished, it'll be like you never left."

"Oh God, it is tempting," Grace said. "But do you think I'll be up to the task? I'm not an alien fighter, you know."

"You helped fight the Master and he's one of the most dangerous enemies I have."

"Some fight, he possessed me," Grace said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes. But you also jumpstarted the TARDIS by yourself and came back from the dead. That's pretty impressive."

"So how many people do you know who have been back from the dead?" Donna said. "Her, Jack, Rory."

"Himself," River said, pointing to the Doctor. "Although it was more like being erased from all of history, but still…"

"If you want, you can be on the medical detail," the Doctor said to Grace. "You can help because I'm sure there'll be wounded. Hoping not but knowing me…"

"Well, from what you just described, the alternative to refusing seems to be death or languishing in a concentration camp so I think I'll choose to help you in whatever way I can."

"Ah, brilliant!" the Doctor said, hugging her. "Welcome aboard, Doctor Grace Holloway, Med Corps…and occasional alien fighting, but mainly Med Corps."

Grace laughed.

"I don't think I'll be able to put that on a nametag but it's good to be here and assist you, Doctor," she said.

"Wonderful! Now that you're here, we can move on and…"

The Doctor stopped speaking when he reached the open doorway. He was about to close it when he looked outside.

"Hey, where are we?" he said, stepping outside.

"You're in my living room," Grace said. "I was about to take a bath when you appeared out of nowhere and scared the crap outta me."

"This isn't your living room, this looks nothing like your house," the Doctor said, looking around.

"I moved to another house since you last saw me."

"Oh. Well, that explains it then," the Doctor said as he walked back inside and shut the door.

"I would have told you but you didn't leave a forwarding address to your TARDIS, Doctor," Grace teased while the others laughed.

"Well, I wasn't counting on seeing you again but now that you're here, the more the merrier," the Doctor said. "But for now, let's see if we can find others out there who can help."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

(Meanwhile, deep within the TARDIS…)

Rose sat on a bench inside a simulated amusement park. All the adults except for Jim and Lori chose to come here and they were having fun, enjoying the free entertainment and drinks and food and listening to the children's laughter. Rose decided to take a rest and watch while Mandy and Michelle played on the helter skelter across from her. She watched while Mandy got off the bottom of the slide. She was just about to run around to the stairs when she noticed Rose. She stared at her for a moment before walking over. Rose smiled lovingly at her.

"You okay, Rose?" Mandy said when she reached her.

"I'm okay, love, just having a bit of a rest," Rose said. "Go ahead and play, sweetie."

"Nah, I want to rest a bit too," Mandy said, sitting down beside her.

They sat together, enjoying the simulated sun and sky while Michelle continued to play on the slide.

"This is a magical place," Mandy finally said.

"Oh yes, it's very magical," Rose said. "The TARDIS is one of my favorite places in the whole world!"

Mandy nodded at that.

"Will they be back?" Mandy asked her.

"Will who be back, love?" Rose said.

"Mommy and Daddy."

"Oh yeah, they just needed to go off and be alone and love each other."

"Do they love me?"

"Yes, love," Rose said, putting her hand on Mandy's head. "They love you a lot. It's just that sometimes Mummies and Daddies need to be alone so they can love each other. That's why the TARDIS made this, so you can have fun while they do that."

"Do you have kids?" Mandy asked.

"No, sweetie, I don't. We wanted some but we were busy working and the Brotherhood came and we never got around to it," Rose said.

"Do you still want kids?"

"Well, maybe someday," Rose said, smiling at her.

Mandy thought about that for a moment.

"I wanna do it!" she finally said.

"Do what, love?"

"Be your daughter, if you want. I can be yours and Mommy and Daddy's daughter. It's easy. I can love lots of people."

Rose swallowed hard while her eyes misted over.

"Really?" she said.

"Tommy is your little brother but I wanna be your daughter cause I like you," Mandy said. "You and John are nice people and your funny and silly and I wanna be your daughter. I can ask Mommy to make a certificate that I can give to you."

Rose laughed at that and scooted closer to her. She put her arm around Mandy and Mandy snuggled in close to her.

"John will be surprised when she finds out I have a surprise daughter now," Rose said.

"Nah, I'll just give him the certificate," Mandy said.

Rose chuckled and kissed her lips.

"I'm gonna get something to drink, Mommy. You want something?" Mandy said.

"Um, I'd like a glass of lemonade," Rose said.

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute. You stay there, Mommy," Mandy said.

She walked away while Rose watched her with a loving look on her face.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

(Meanwhile, up front…)

Here we go again," the Doctor said as the TARDIS zoomed them to another location.

The TARDIS stopped and powered down. The Doctor listened for screaming coming from outside the door and relaxed when there was none. He was about to move to the front door when some information came on his monitor. The Doctor checked it and his eyes widened in delight.

"We're on Thoros Alpha," he said to everyone.

"Is that significant?" River asked.

"Very. This is where one of my companions came. Her name is Peri and as far as I know, she became the consort of King Yrcanos. She can help us."

Everyone followed the Doctor to the door. He opened it and peeked out. He stepped outside when he saw the coast was clear. Everyone followed him out and looked around. They were standing in a white marble throne room that had gold trim all over the walls. In front of them was a white marble dais with two golden thrones on it. Above that was two gold curtains that were hanging down from the ceiling. Each curtain had the royal coat of arms on it. The Doctor looked behind the TARDIS. The throne room was vast with stained glass windows and a gold carpet that led to a twenty foot set of golden doors. On either side of the doors were huge painted portraits of King Yrcanos and Peri in royal regalia. The Doctor stared at the portrait of Peri. She was older, mid thirties, and her hair was down to her waist and braided but he recognized his old friend.

"Nice," Grace said as the others came up beside him. "Is that your friend?" she said, pointing to the portrait.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor said.

"Where are they?" John said. "Where is anyone? You'd think the throne room would at least have some guards posted."

The Doctor beckoned for them to follow him and they walked towards the doors. The sun shone through the stained glass windows, throwing colored patterns on the floor, making the room look even more beautiful. But the Doctor sensed a coldness that usually happened after a room has been unoccupied for awhile. He listened intently but there were no signs of life or no sounds beyond the room. He started to think something was horribly wrong as he and John threw their weight against one of the doors. It opened slowly and they stepped out into a white marble corridor with gold. The Doctor's mouth dropped open when he saw giant spiderwebs all over the place and webbing in the corners.

"Wow, they really need to clean," River quipped while she looked around.

"I think something's wrong," John said.

"So do I," the Doctor said. "I think we better get everyone else before we investigate. Judging from the size of the webs, they have something bigger than a tiny pest problem. I'm betting Peri and her kingdom is in trouble and we need to find out what's going on and save them."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

After getting the others and making sure the TARDIS was secure, the Doctor briefed everyone on who Peri was and what they had found so far. As they stepped out into the corridor, they called Peri's name and the Doctor told her it was him. They moved through the castle but they didn't see anything except webs and webbing everyplace. There was an eerie quiet and so far they hadn't seen any sign of people or dead bodies. The Doctor stopped them after several minutes.

"I don't like this," the Doctor said to his companions.

"Perhaps the spider creature has gone below," Vastra said. "Somewhere dark, yes? Most spiders like the dark?"

"Yes, most likely," the Doctor said nodding. "Unfortunately, I've never been here personally so I don't know the layout of the place. If there is a spider here, it could ambush us."

Older Michelle stepped up to him. She reached into her pocket and brought out a long black device that resembled a handheld video game. She held on to it while she reached into her pocket and pulled out a long black cord with a large suction cord at the end of it. She plugged the end of the cord into the device and walked several paces away from the others. They watched while she affixed the suction cup to the floor and began to fiddle with buttons on the handheld device. The Doctor walked up to her and noticed there was a tiny monitor along with a keypad and some buttons.

"What's this?" he said to her.

"Echo location," Older Michelle said. "It works like sonar. It sends out a sonic pulse through the suction cup and brings back a map of the surrounding area. We could find out how big this place really is."

"Brilliant," the Doctor said as everyone gathered around her to watch. "Where did you get this?"

"You made it," Older Michelle said, glancing at him.

"Really?" the Doctor said, now even more interested in the device.

Older Michelle finished calibrating it and pushed the enter button. They heard a loud staticky noise and the monitor went blank for several moments before a 3D representation of the parts of the castle below them appeared. The Doctor studied it with Older Michelle.

"There's a cavernous area at the very bottom of the castle," Older Michelle said, pointing. "Maybe that's a dungeon?"

"Worth a look," the Doctor said, nodding. "Okay, Jack, River. I want you at the front of the group so you can provide protection while we head down. Vastra, Jenny, Strax and Shana, protect our flank and everyone else stay in between them and keep your eyes open, both around and above. Shelly, stay near me, I want to keep referring to this map."

They headed downwards. River and Jack led the group, their hands resting on the guns in their holsters while they kept their eyes open. They found the stairs and slowly made their way down. The stairs twisted around a central pillar so everyone was cautious in case something was up ahead of them. So far, there was still no sign of anyone, only webbing. When they got to the next level, the Doctor stopped them and had Older Michelle take another quick reading for an updated map. When it was finished, they continued on, the Doctor and John calling out to Peri, telling her who they were so she would come out if she was in hiding.

They kept going down until they reached the bottom level which was indeed a dungeon. Now instead of white marble and stained glass, there was dirt, dankness and jail cells. There were several unlit wooden torches on the walls around them and the Doctor used his sonic to light them as they walked down a narrow corridor filled with jail cells.

"Bit Count Dracula, isn't it?" Grace said while they walked. "I mean, this is another planet and it looks like a medieval dungeon."

"You'd be surprised at how uniform most dungeons are across the universe," Jack said, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Oh? Expert on dungeons then?" Donna said to him.

"Um…seen my share, yeah," Jack said.

"Doctor, wait, there's something inside this cell," Martha said, pointing to one off to her left. "They look like cocoons."

The Doctor moved to her side. Everyone kept close watch on their surroundings while the Doctor tried the cell door. It creaked open and the Doctor grabbed a flaming torch beside the cell and he, Martha, Grace and John moved inside the stuffy, dank cell. The cocoons were affixed to the walls and a couple of human sized cocoons were lying on the dirt floor. The Doctor held out the torch, illuminating on affixed to the wall. John reached into his pocket and found a penknife. He carefully cut a slit from the top down to where he guessed chin level was and tested the webbing with his fingers, making sure he could grip it without getting stuck. When he found he could pull his fingers back without any trouble, cut another slit horizontally to the first, making a cross. He them peeled back webbing and stepped back when they saw a woman's face. She was pale and emaciated and the Doctor swallowed hard as he stepped forward for a closer look.

"It's not Peri," he said after examining her.

Grace reached into the webbing and found the jugular vein, testing the pulse.

"She's alive," Grace said. "Barely."

"Right, time to cut her out of there then," John said.

He used his penknife and the Doctor used his sonic to cut open the webbing and free the person inside.

"Does the human need assistance?" Strax said as the others stood at the doorway to the cell.

"Yes but we're gonna cut her free first," the Doctor said to him. "And if she's still alive…" he added, glancing at the other cocoons.

"So is this food for the spider?" Martha said while they worked to free the woman. "Spiders do keep their prey paralyzed and alive so they can feed on them."

"Most likely," the Doctor said. "I just hope we're not too late to help her and the other victims."

"Do you think one of them could be Peri then?" Wilf asked him.

"I don't know. If she's here, I hope she's still alive," the Doctor said, glancing back at him.

They finished cutting the woman out of the cocoon and John, Grace and Martha eased her onto the ground. Once she was on the floor of the cell, Grace took the torch from the Doctor and she and Martha worked together to check her vital signs and see what could be done for her while the Doctor and John freed the next person.

"You're right, she's barely alive," Martha said to Grace while she checked her pulse. "I think we need to move her back to the TARDIS med bay as soon as we can."

"Do you see any bite marks though?" Grace said, looking the woman over.

"Not so far," Martha said, moving her long, matted blonde hair back to get a better look at her neck. "If she was subdued without being bitten and paralyzed, she must have been ambused or she put up one hell of a struggle."

"It doesn't look like she struggled though," Grace said. "Her arms are down at her sides and she looks peaceful and there's no bruises or contusions."

"Maybe she was gassed?" Donna offered.

They looked up and noticed everyone except Jack, River and Shana had come inside the cell. Donna was standing by them, studying the woman.

"That could be a possibility as well," Martha said, nodding. "Or use a stun gun like on Star Trek. Perhaps spiders here don't resort to biting."

Grace decided to check the woman's eyes. She carefully pulled up the right lid and gasped. The Doctor heard her gasp and stopped what he was doing.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he said to Grace.

Grace rolled her eyes.

"A little ironic, coming from me. But her eyes aren't human," Grace said.

The Doctor chuckled as he walked over to her.

"Yes, you'd know all about that," he teased as he knelt down.

"Grace held the torch close while the Doctor examined the eyes. They were completely black.

"John, wait a tic on that bloke," he said to John who was still trying to cut a man out of his cocoon.

John stopped and came up behind him. The Doctor examined the eye before he closed it and parted her lips. Grace pulled back the bottom lip and she raised her eyebrow when she saw the woman had fangs.

"Is this normal on this planet?" Grace said to the Doctor.

"Dunno. My guess is no," the Doctor said. "I'm also guessing these cocoons aren't for storage, I think they're changing into something else."

"Doctor, we got company," Jack said.

Everyone turned around and looked at Jack and River. Both of them had their guns drawn and Shana was barking furiously. The Doctor raced to the cell door and groaned when he saw several car sized spiders coming down the dungeon steps, heading straight for them.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Great, always something," the Doctor as he and everyone else left the woman and quickly moved outside the confined cell.

The spiders were so big; they were literally crawling over one another to get at them.

"Hey! If you don't want a bullet between the eyes, you'll stop right now!" Jack shouted at the spiders.

His eyes widened when the spiders froze.

"Well, whadda know, that worked," Jack said to River.

"Who are you and what do you want?" the Doctor said to the spiders, stepping up beside River.

The spiders said nothing and Jack glanced at the Doctor.

"Not the talkative types?" he said to the Doctor.

"That, or they're waiting for orders," the Doctor said. "I was thinking they were spiders from Metabelis Three but they're too large. Only the queen was this large…unless they mutated. Who is your leader?" he said to the spiders.

"I am."

The spiders moved up slightly as a human came down the stairs. When she came into the torchlight, John sucked in his breath and the Doctor groaned when they saw it was Peri. Her eyes were as black as the woman in the cocoon and she had a deranged smile on her face. Other than the eyes, she still looked human. She was wearing a dark blue strapless satin evening gown that shimmered in the firelight and black stilettos.

"Where is the Doctor?" she said as she studied everyone.

The companions parted while the Doctor stepped forward.

"Hello, Peri," he said.

Peri waved her hand and the spiders crawled up the walls and cages so she could walk through them. The Doctor wondered if there was a psychic link between Peri and the spiders since the spiders weren't even looking her way when she waved. Peri walked towards him and the Doctor tensed, both in anticipation of what Peri might do and because he noticed River was putting her finger on the trigger of her blaster. Then suddenly Peri lunged forward and smacked the Doctor across the face. The Doctor reeled back while Jack and River aimed their weapons at Peri. But Peri stood still and glared at the Doctor while he rubbed his cheek in a shocked silence.

"You pompous asshole!" Peri growled at the Doctor.

"Me?" the Doctor said, signaling to Jack and River to lower their weapons.

"Yes, you! How dare you show your face here!" Peri snarled at him.

"Peri, just calm down, okay?" the Doctor said, slowly coming towards her. "Let's just talk this out and not involve the spiders."

"Talk? Yeah, that's your specialty, isn't it?" Peri said. "Okay, I'll talk. You left me, you son of a bitch!"

Jack and River glanced at the Doctor while he shifted uneasily.

"Peri, I didn't leave you on purpose. I thought you wanted to stay here," the Doctor said. "They told me that you wanted to stay here and marry King Yrcanos."

Peri gave him a withering look.

"Who told you that," she said.

"The Time Lords," the Doctor said sheepishly. "I thought you were dead, at first. I was shown evidence from the Matrix that Kiv had implanted his mind into you but that was a lie. Then they told me that you didn't want to come back, that you came here and married the king. I thought you wanted this so I didn't come for you. I'm sorry, Peri. But that doesn't explain the spiders and why you now control them. And who are these people?" he added, pointing into the cell.

"I was kidnapped by the Valeyard," Peri said, ignoring his questions.

"I know and he faked footage of your death at my trial," the Doctor said.

"Do you want to know why he took me?" Peri said.

"Why?" the Doctor said.

"Because Yrcanos wanted me for his concubine," she snarled at him. "Because the Valeyard showed me to him and he liked me because he had a thing for alien women apparently. I was taken to him and enslaved to him. I waited for you to come and you never did. And now I find out why. Because you believed your own people? You told me several times you couldn't stand the High Council because, in your words, they were a bunch of corrupt idiots. And you believed them when they told you I decided to stay here?"

"I said I was sorry, Peri," the Doctor said while his companions looked at each other. "I can't change the past now. But I want to help you now that I'm here. So please tell me what the spiders are doing here and why your eyes are all black."

"The spiders are my allies," Peri said. "I used them to bring down Yrcanos and kill him and his arrogant, abusive courtiers. The Queen gave me the ability to control them. These spiders here are some of the palace courtiers and the ones in the cell are a few more. I got my revenge over them for all the times they heaped verbal abuse on me and stood back and watched and laughed while Yrcanos raped and beat me."

"So you're in control of your own mind then?" the Doctor said hesitantly. "This Queen isn't controlling you?"

"I'm in control, Doctor. I know that probably upsets you since you like to be the one in control but these spiders obey me, which is why you and your friends aren't stuffed into cocoons yet. So…exactly how long has it been since you're not the same man anymore? I realize that it's been eight years since I last saw you but that could have been centuries for you. And it has been, hasn't it? Centuries?"

"Yes," the Doctor said.

"And, out of the blue…you just decided to pay me a visit now?" Peri said.

"Can I speak to you alone, Peri?"

"Why?" Peri said.

"Because I'd rather not have this out with you in the middle of a dank dungeon with spiders all around me. I'd like to speak to you privately and I'd like my friends to be unharmed. Can we just talk this out without violence?"

"I don't know, I don't really trust you any longer."

"Please, Peri."

Peri sighed. She thought to the spiders and all of them scurried away.

"Your friends can move freely about the castle but this better not be a trick because I can think to them and I'll order the spiders to kill them in a heartbeat."

"Fair enough," the Doctor said.

"Follow me," Peri said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

She led him back to the throne room. While they walked, the Doctor's hearts ached, thinking of how he'd been deceived and left his friend behind to be abused and tortured. He didn't speak until they were inside the throne room and the doors were closed. He glanced around; wondering if she was the one planning the trap and any moment Spiders would swarm out from hidden places and ambush him. But nothing happened except for Peri walking over to one of the thrones. She sat down and crossed her arms, waiting for him to speak. The Doctor swallowed hard as he approached the throne.

"I'm sorry, Peri. I don't know how many times I can say it before you believe me. But I never meant for this to happen," he said to her.

"I thought you hated me," Peri said.

"I've never hated you, Peri."

Peri let out a barking laugh.

"Really? Because you sure as hell acted like it in your sixth life," she said. "You were always insulting me and acting like I was stupid and let's not even mention the murder attempt when you tried to strangle me. If you didn't hate me, you had a really strange way of showing it."

"My sixth life was a bit unhinged," the Doctor said.

"Unhinged? Unhinged doesn't even begin…"

She shut up and shook her head.

"No, just go ahead and talk," she said to him.

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "I had problems during that life, because the spectrox affected my mind during the regeneration."

"So it's my fault," Peri said.

"No, it's not your fault," the Doctor said evenly. "I gave you the bat's milk because I wanted your life to be saved. You had no control over what happened to me and sadly, there were times when I barely had control over myself during that life. I always cared for you, Peri. But each life is different. Not just the spectrox, I have different personalities when I change and sometimes the change is not completely for the better. I'm sorry I tried to kill you and I'm sorry I caused you distress. I'm not trying to downplay what I did, just explain it so perhaps you understand that I wasn't the Doctor you knew before. Believe me, I didn't like me at times and he still remains one of my least favorite lives. But…despite all that, I would never have left you here to suffer. I apologize profusely, Peri, and I want us to be friends again."

Peri fell silent while she thought it over and the Doctor was hopeful that at least she was calming down and talking to him.

"Do you know that the Valeyard is your future self?" she finally said.

"I do," the Doctor said.

"He told me that when Kiv kidnapped me. He was there in the ship with him. Is that the truth, what he told me?"

"I think so. He told me the same," the Doctor said.

"If he's from the future, maybe he targeted me because of our volatile relationship," Peri said. "Perhaps he thought I would believe that you really did hate me and left me behind because we didn't see eye to eye. And I did believe that."

"May I sit with you?" the Doctor said.

Peri hesitated for a moment and then nodded. The Doctor thanked her and sat down in the other throne. He hesitated a moment before taking her hand in his and putting his other hand on top of it.

"I think…looking back on it now…the reason I believed so easily that you were happy here was because I knew how badly I treated you and I wanted you to have better," he said gently while Peri listened. "You were stellar, Peri. And I made you feel like dirt and I do apologize for that. But maybe I thought…you belonged here and not with me. Then time moved on and so did I."

"Then why are you here now?" Peri said, studying his face.

"Because the TARDIS brought me here. I'm searching for allies to fight an alien force called The Brotherhood who might be threatening Earth. I asked the TARDIS to find people who I could use for a makeshift army to fight them and this is one of the places she brought me to. Maybe the TARDIS felt it was time to make amends and set the record straight after all these years. I would like your help, Peri. But I have to ask if you really and truly are in control because your eyes and your control of these spiders terrifies me. Where is this Queen?"

"She's dead. This happened two years ago, my conversion, and in that time she grew old and died. And I am telling the truth," she added when the Doctor studied her face.

The Doctor nodded; convinced she was telling the truth.

"These people you're trying to convert, you have to let me heal them. You can't do this to anyone else, Peri. I understand you want revenge but you've become just as evil as the people who did this to you. Turning these courtiers into your spider army solves nothing. Will you let me help them?"

Peri thought that over for a moment before nodding. The Doctor rubbed her hand and thanked her.

"And you…do you want me to heal you as well?" he said to her. "I can try to reverse what happened and make you completely human again."

Peri thought about that.

"Yes, you can…but…"

"But?" the Doctor said.

"Not yet," Peri said. "If you want me to help you, I could use the conversion to help you in battle."

"How? I don't want heaps of giant spiders in my TARDIS."

"No, I can control any spider," Peri said. "All spiders across the universe are essentially the same. I can telepathically control them and use them."

The Doctor considered that.

"I can also speak with them telepathically and understand them," Peri added. "They could be used as spies also. That was why I wanted you to wait."

"I just want you to be safe," the Doctor said. "Your abilities would be helpful but I want to be sure you really can control them. Can you?"

Peri studied him for a moment.

"You're like him," she said to him.

"Who?"

"Your fifth life," Peri said. "You're not arrogant anymore. At least not like you were before. You're more like you were when I first met you."

"I'm glad to hear it," the Doctor said.

"Yes, I can control it because my human mind is stronger than a spider's mind. I can't be controlled by the spiders," she said.

"Okay," the Doctor said. "Then I will hold off on mending you…that is, if you want to come with me."

Peri was thoughtful for a moment before standing up. She bent over and the Doctor watched while she looked him over.

"You're not bad looking this time around," she said. "And your clothes are updated. At least you're not a cricketer or circus clown now."

"Circus clown?" the Doctor said.

"Please. You had the clothes and the poofy afro, all you needed was the clown makeup and big shoes," she said to him.

"Perhaps," the Doctor said, smiling.

"I have a request," she said.

"Yes?"

"Don't bring me back here when we're done. Take me somewhere else."

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go," the Doctor said. "I won't leave you stranded again, I promise."

"Are all these people traveling with you at the same time?" Peri said, gesturing to the door.

"No, one travels with me full time and another one is my wife and she travels with me on occasion."

"Wife? You got married?"

The Doctor nodded. Peri slapped her knee.

"Damn, it wasn't me," she said.

She chuckled at the Doctor's shocked look.

"Nah, I've had enough of marriage for now, especially after my supposed marriage to Yrcanos," she said.

"And I want to apologize again for that."

"You know, you have become more like your fifth life. He would have apologized. The Asshole would have told me to grow up and move on and deal with it."

"Well, I've taken my own advice. I grew up, dealt with it and moved on."

"Then I will do the same."

"Thank you," the Doctor said.

"And now…where did I put that carrot juice?"

She laughed when the Doctor bolted from the throne and ran for the door. He stopped after several steps and turned with a huge grin on his face.

"I don't need your health regime any longer," he said, walking back to her.

"I see that. You look good."

"Thank you. And now, Queen Peri, shall we?" he said, holding out his hand to her.

Peri smiled and took his hand. He squeezed it as they walked towards the huge golden doors.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The Doctor found Jack first. He was standing near the throne room door, chatting with Shana. They stopped talking when the Doctor and Peri came outside.

"Well, he's not encased in webbing and his eyes are normal," Jack said to Shana.

"We've talked and Peri's on our side," the Doctor said.

"Her eyes are still black," Shana said.

"Yes, that will be sorted eventually," the Doctor said.

Peri told them about her ability to control spiders and Jack raised his eyebrow.

"Any spider?" Jack said.

"Yes," Peri said.

"Even Spider-Man?" Jack said wryly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes while Jack sniggered at that.

"Um…I don't know," Peri said dryly. "I've never met him."

"Just kidding," Jack said, patting her shoulder. "Nice to meet you and know you're not going to kill us. I'm Jack, this is Shana."

Peri nodded hello and shook their hands.

"Everyone else is touring your castle; it's a nice castle by the way."

"It's not really mine but thanks anyway," Peri said.

"Well, let's round up the others and get the injured on board and get out of here," the Doctor said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After finding everyone else, they carried the cocooned people into the TARDIS. Peri stood back and watched them do it, a bit worried that she wouldn't be accepted by the others. The Doctor noticed this and did his best to introduce her to everyone, trying to make her feel accepted and ease the fears of everyone else.

They brought everyone on board the TARDIS, seven in all, and put them in the med bay where John, Martha, Grace, Wilf and Donna took up the task of freeing and stabilizing them.

"What about the others, can they be changed back?" the Doctor asked Peri when everyone was inside the TARDIS.

"I'm not sure, the Queen never told me if they could or not," Peri said.

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"Can you bring them into the throne room? I can move the TARDIS and land on top of them and the TARDIS can put them in a locked room for their own safety until we can determine if we can change them back or not. At the very least, I can take them somewhere if I can't, an unpopulated planet where they can thrive."

Peri nodded. They stepped outside the TARDIS and the Doctor watched while Peri closed her eyes and summoned the spiders to her. The Doctor was amazed when the spiders started coming into the throne room. Not only the big spiders but every spider was obeying her and he smiled at the tiny spiders that were coming inside the room with their big brothers and sisters. When they were finished, he made a quick count of the big spiders and counted seventeen of them. But there were many, many more little spiders and all of them were standing in a semicircle around the Doctor and Peri.

"Amazing," the Doctor said. "But you couldn't just call the big ones?"

"Well, I didn't know where they all were so I sent out a general summons. They came in with the others," she said, gesturing to the little spiders. "Now that I know where they are, I can control the big ones."

"Okay, well…we don't need all the little babies then," the Doctor said.

He smiled when Peri closed her eyes and the little spiders hurried out of the room while the big ones remained in a cluster.

"Yes, this could be useful indeed," the Doctor marveled. "Especially if the Brotherhood does land on Earth. We could overwhelm them with spiders. And seeing how there are millions of spiders on the Earth. I see now why the TARDIS was so keen on bringing me here."

"So you don't give a crap about me, just my abilities."

The Doctor looked at Peri, thinking he'd insulted her again but she winked and he smiled.

"Nah, I'm interested in the woman as well," he said, hugging her. "Just order them to stay there and I'll move the TARDIS on top of them."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After securing the spiders inside the TARDIS, the Doctor put the TARDIS inside the vortex and went to help stabilize the mutated humans. By the time the Doctor entered the med bay, the people had been freed. Three men and four women, all of them young. The Doctor looked at them and hoped that he could find a cure for them. For the moment though, they were being stabilized and being put into a medically induced coma just in case they continued to mutate. The last thing the Doctor wanted was for them to transform fully and scatter around the TARDIS targeting all of them.

While they were doing that, Rose suddenly appeared at the doorway with Mandy. John stopped what he was doing to go to her.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" he said, taking hold of her arms.

"John, I have something to tell you," Rose said while Mandy watched. "I don't know how to say this…but I gave birth."

"You did what?" John said, his eyes bulging. "Gave birth? Now? Wait…the Brotherhood? They didn't…those bastards didn't…" he snarled as his fists clenched.

"No, it wasn't them, it was you," Rose said melodramatically. "I don't know how but I just gave birth to a five year old child and here she is!"

Mandy giggled when John looked down at her with a perplexed look on his face.

"I see…" John said. "So…you're bored with the amusement park so now you're thinking up weird jokes and trying to wind me up for a giggle."

"No," Rose said. "I was sitting on a bench and this wee one offered to be our daughter because we haven't got one. So now we have a daughter, John!" Rose said, throwing her arms up in the air.

John looked at Mandy.

"Hi, Daddy," she said.

"Awww, you going to be parenting Ps and Qs now?" the Doctor said. "That's so sweeeeet!"

"Can we take her back to her original parents and leave her there?" John said to Rose.

"No, I want her, she's mine," Rose said, throwing her arms around Mandy while Mandy giggled.

"But, dearest, we can get ten quid for her on the black market. Maybe even twenty!" John said, picking up Mandy. "Maybe…we can even get a case of Irn Bru!"

"You're silly, Daddy," Mandy said.

The Doctor chortled when John stared at her with wide eyes while he held her close.

"Curiouser and curiouser, this child seems to think I want her. How odd," he said. "TARDIS, where is Peri, can you make a path to her?"

A doorway opened up in the wall and John carried Mandy through it. Rose glanced at the Doctor.

"Who's Peri?" she said to him.

"Come with me," the Doctor said as they followed John.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Peri was in the console room by herself. She was sitting in the chair by the console, looking around while she remembered her time traveling with the Doctor.

"Aha!"

Peri jumped up when she heard John cry out and saw him marching down the stairs with Mandy in his arms.

"I wasn't touching anything," Peri said, backing away.

John paused on the bottom step while the Doctor and Rose started down.

"I didn't think you were," John said. "Were you?"

"No, I was just sitting here," Peri said, pointing to the chair.

"Oh, okay then. Well…"

John walked over to Peri, put Mandy down and pointed to Peri.

"There, this is Mummy," he said sternly to her. "Bye now!"

"No!" Mandy said with a giggle while John spun around, sprinted down the front steps and hid under the platform. Peri frowned as Mandy watched John through the glass. The Doctor walked up beside her with Rose following him and they stopped and watched John react with fake horror as he looked up at Mandy.

"Aaaah! Child!" John yelled as he pointed up to Mandy.

"You silly, Daddy!" Mandy squealed.

"What's going on?" Peri said to the Doctor. "I was just sitting here, thinking, and he comes in with her and wants me to have her?"

"Ah, that's just John winding you up, no worries," the Doctor said. "This is Rose, his wife. Rose, this is Peri."

"Nice to meet ya," Rose said, extending her hand.

"Likewise," Peri said. "And this is…" she said, looking at Mandy.

"It is aliiiiive!" John yelled up.

The Doctor chuckled.

"This is Mandy. She's the daughter of some friends of mine but apparently she adopted Rose and John as a second set of parents now," he said to Peri.

"Could you take her, Doctor? I'd trade her for a case of Irn Bru and some jelly babies," John said to him.

"We're not trading her, she's ours now," Rose said.

"Yours, I'm divorcing you here and now. Ee may chuck! There, our marriage never was. Enjoy Mandy!"

"Daddy's silly," Mandy said to Rose.

"Yes, he is. Bless his cotton socks," Rose said. "Well, I'm going back to the funfair now. Just wanted you to know you're a dad."

"I'm not a dad, I just divorced you," John said to her. "Ee may chuck, remember?"

"Mm," Rose said. "Anyway, see you later, love. Come, sweetie, let's go on the merry-go-round. Doctor, see you later. Peri, it's nice to meet you. John, you're still married to me, no matter how loudly you yell ee may chuck. Cheers, everyone."

"I will see you in court, ex-wife!" John yelled up while Rose chuckled and took Mandy's hand.

"Bye, Daddy!" Mandy said, following Rose up the back stairs.

"Doctor, would you like an extra wife? You could have a harem," John said to him.

"You'd be willing to give her back to me?" the Doctor said.

John thought that over.

"No. On second thought, she's stellar. I'll keep her. Chuck may ee. There, I'm married again."

"What about Mandy?"

"Case of Irn Bru for her?"

"Nah, makes me gassy."

"Mandy makes me gassy," John said while the Doctor chuckled. "Eh, I'll put up with her if it keeps the butter knife happy."

"I have to say this is odd," Peri said.

"Why?" the Doctor said.

"Because I've never witnessed this much good humor in the TARDIS. Not when I traveled with you…and I never saw children in here before. You've changed alot."

"Says the woman who's half spider now," the Doctor said. "And weren't you almost a bird? Doesn't that conflict?"

"Yes, shouldn't the bird part of you want to eat the spider part of you?" John said as he came up the steps.

Peri tried to keep a straight face but she burst out laughing.

"Been ages since someone tried to turn me into a bird," she said, shaking her head.

"Yes, but you would have made a pretty bird, Peri," the Doctor said. "Course I do prefer you as a human…ish," he said while Peri chuckled. "I mean, you're not all human now but you're more human than you where when you were almost all bird and…"

"Okay, you're making my head spin now," Peri said, holding up her hands while the Doctor and John giggled.

"And why were you so defensive when I came into the room?" John said. "I wasn't trying to catch you doing something and I didn't think you were doing something. I was just having a laugh."

"You're still worried that not everyone trusts you here, is that it?" the Doctor said. "Because I heard you as well when Rose and I were coming through the doorway."

"Yeah," Peri said sheepishly. "I was just sitting here remembering when I traveled with you. I guess I thought it looked suspicious, me being in here by myself."

"Peri, I wouldn't have brought you on board if I didn't trust you," the Doctor said. "And even if you were planning something, the TARDIS would trap you the moment you tried it. Calm down, no one is hostile towards you. At least not that I know of. You were and are my friend and you still have a home here, always will have. Just relax and enjoy yourself."

"And take the child please!" John said.

Peri smiled at that.

"Nah, you have her," she said. "You can get twenty quid for her on the black market."

"And a case of Irn Bru, don't forget that," John said, holding up his finger.

Peri laughed.

"Yeah, it is good to hear laughter and jokes again," she said. "Didn't get much of it being the concubine of Yrcanos."

"And you're not hostile towards me because of that?" the Doctor said.

"No, not anymore," Peri said, shaking her head. "I think we were both duped."

"Well, technically, the three of us were duped. I'm his clone," John said.

"What?" Peri said, taken aback.

"Right, perhaps we should talk about this in the med bay," the Doctor said. "We were finishing with the courtiers and I want to make sure they're stabilized and free of danger before we do anything else. Come with us then, Peri. We'll fill you in and fill Grace in on a few things while we work."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Finally, the Doctor felt that the seven men and women were stable enough that he could leave them and continue with his quest. He told everyone he would be in the console room before heading to it. When he got there, Older Michelle was there sitting in his chair. The Doctor smiled at her as he came down the stairs.

"Plotting mischief, Bookworm?" he said to her.

"Moi? I'm innocent," Older Michelle said.

"So…" the Doctor said, stepping onto the console platform. "You and I are married, eh?"

"Yup. Very happily married," Older Michelle said.

"With me?"

Older Michelle gave him an odd look.

"Um…yeah, I just said you and I were…"

"No. Me as in this body," he said, pointing to himself.

Older Michelle thought for a moment about whether or not to tell him and then shook her head.

"Other you," she said.

"And you say you're older than you look so no help there," the Doctor said as he walked to his monitor.

"You're just curious about me and my story, aren't you?" Older Michelle said.

"Well, after dealing with River and her story, I do get tired of mystery women in my life," the Doctor said.

"Love, you keep just as many secrets as I do, more in fact," Older Michelle said. "So I wouldn't say anything about me being secretive if I were you."

"Yes, but I would like to know something about you besides the fact that you are older than you look," the Doctor said, turning to her.

Older Michelle thought for a moment.

"What you said about the Valeyard, I knew him about him because we, you and I, fought him at one point," she said.

"He's supposed to exist somewhere between my twelve and thirteenth life," the Doctor said.

Older Michelle gave him a poker face in response.

"Course he could appear at other points in time, I suppose," the Doctor mused while Older Michelle grinned at that. "So he's not dead or trapped in the Matrix then?"

"Nope."

"Do you even know what the Matrix is?" the Doctor said.

"The repository of all Time Lord knowledge and memories," Older Michelle said.

She giggled when the Doctor rolled his eyes at that.

"What? You did give me a book, you know. History of Gallifrey. I'm Bookworm, remember?" Older Michelle said, jabbing a finger at her chest repeatedly. "Besides, you told me a lot about Gallifrey and the Time War."

"And what did I tell you about the Time War?" the Doctor said, turning to her again.

"Many things. Why? Is it forbidden for me to know about a war that happened centuries before I was even born?"

"No, just curious to know what I said," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"You're just trying to find out more about me," Older Michelle said with a wry smile.

"Yes, I am. Especially since I ended up in love with you. I'm fond of you, Bookworm, but I never entertained the idea of snogging you and making you my wife."

"Well, good. Because up till now you've only known me as a nine and ten year old girl. I would be worried if you were lusting after me at that age," Older Michelle said.

"You're winding me up, aren't you?" the Doctor said.

"About what?"

"Being in love with you and marrying you. This is something you would joke about."

"Perhaps, Slime Monster, but this is no joke," she said, holding up her wedding bracelet. "If this is a joke, how did I know to wear it when you visited me on my honeymoon night?"

"Good point," the Doctor said. "So I suppose I'll have to wait and see what happens between us."

"I suppose you will," Older Michelle said.

She giggled at the exasperated look on the Doctor's face.

"May I make a wee suggestion?" Michelle said after a few moments of silence.

"Wee? Isn't that a British thing to say, Macaroni and Cheese?" the Doctor said.

"Yes, it is, Numptie Muppet Prat Bucket."

She laughed at the odd look on the Doctor's face.

"You're odd," the Doctor said.

"Says the man who wears a bow tie. Bow ties are cool," she said hurriedly in sync with the Doctor when he replied to that.

"Anyway," the Doctor said while she laughed. "What is your suggestion?"

"Cybermen as an ally."

The Doctor gave her a long, hard look.

"Cybermen," he said.

"Modified, of course. Don't look at me like that. You got a Sontaran and a Silurian helping you, don't you? Weren't they your enemies?"

"Yes, but…"

The Doctor leaned against the rim of his console.

"And how do you propose we get a Cyberman?"

"Where do they live? They live somewhere, don't they?" Older Michelle said.

"Yes, they do and I know where they are. But there's loads of them and they don't like people waltzing in and kidnapping them. Although…TARDIS, could you show me Amy and Rory?" he said to the ceiling.

Amy and Rory appeared behind him. The Doctor staggered back. They were sitting at the same table they shared with Benjamin Franklin, except now they were dining with Casanova. Amy sighed and held up her hand to stop Casanova in the middle of his story.

"Now what? We were hearing about the time Casanova snogged a girl in a sheep pasture…and then had fun with the sheep," Amy said.

Older Michelle frowned. Casanova vaguely resembled John, she noticed. He had a similar face, just longer hair and blue eyes. Casanova looked at the Doctor and pointed to him.

"You…owe me a chicken," he said to him.

"Yes, I know and you will get it…in the past, when you're still alive, of course," he muttered while Amy and Rory sniggered. "Anyway…Rory!"

"Yes!" Rory said.

"You went into the Cybermen Empire and came back unscathed, how did you do it?" the Doctor said. "Bookworm here thinks I should kidnap one and modify it so it works for us."

"Hmm, interesting," Rory said. "Well, you see, I frightened the Cybermen because I dressed like a centurion and that intimidated them. That and you blew up most of them while I was standing there. That also shut them up."

"You stood there in the midst of eighty zillion Daleks and came out of it unscathed," Amy said to him. "So why are you asking us about Cybermen?"

"Because I love hearing your insults and stupid comments," the Doctor said. "I just can't get enough of it."

"Casanova, why does he owe you the chicken?" Amy asked him.

"Don't you dare tell them!" the Doctor said to Casanova.

"See…he still thinks he can order us about, even though he can't reach us here," Amy said to Casanova.

"You know what? I think I will take that as a challenge. I will find out where you lot are and go there so I can kick your arse the way you kicked mine."

"Try it," Amy said. "You gotta be a spirit to be here so let's see you try to get here and kick my arse!"

"Done!" the Doctor said. "I will find a way. But in the meantime, don't you dare tell them, Casanova."

"No, go ahead and tell us," Amy said while the Doctor eyed her.

She chuckled and winked at her friend.

"No, better not," Amy said to Casanova. "I do still love him and I don't want him hating me forever more because I went against his wishes. As for the Cybermen problem, you have heaps of people in here now. Why don't you come up with a plan and quit bothering us? I told you, we're on permanent holiday here. We're not a part of your "Staff" anymore."

"Fine," the Doctor said. "Enjoy your dinner, Pond."

"And now he throws a temper tantrum," Amy said to everyone while the Doctor turned and walked out of the room. "He's sore because I can say what I like now and he can't stop me. Don't let him boss you around, Michelle. He'll run you ragged if you let him."

"Trust me, I know how to handle him," Older Michelle said.

She noticed Casanova was staring at her with a lustful gleam in her eyes.

"Not a chance, I'm in a one man relationship," Older Michelle said to him.

"That's because you haven't been with me yet," Casanova said with a wink.

"Aaaaand on that note, TARDIS, turn off whatever you're doing, will you? See you later, Michelle," Amy said.

"Bye, guys," Michelle said as they disappeared from view.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

The Doctor gathered everyone together in the kitchen and told them what Older Michelle had proposed. While he was talking, Older Michelle wandered into the room and leaned against the wall by the doorway, listening to him.

"So…we're gonna catch a Cybermen then," Jack said. "But I say to all of you, why stop there? Let's go get a Dalek and modify that. Ooo or get Davros. Oh wait, he's dead now. No, we could get Davros's older brother, Bubba, and brainwash him so he'll help us."

"I was being serious about the Cybermen thing," Older Michelle said to him.

"I know you were, I was just joking around," Jack said. "And…getting serious here. What about a disguise?" he said to the Doctor.

"What sort of disguise?" the Doctor said.

"Cybermen suit, costume, thing," Jack said, running his hands up and down his body. "Dress and act like one and get close enough to paralyze him. Then bring him back here and modify him."

"Whoever dressed up like a Cybermen has to act completely emotionless. Like I told Rose once, you show any emotion, you're dead. Are you volunteering for this then?" the Doctor said to Jack.

"I wasn't planning on it, I was just throwing that out there," Jack said. "However, if you want me to do that…"

"I volunteer as well," River said. "I think Jack and I could handle the Cybermen well enough if we get into trouble."

"Why thank you, Mrs. Doctor," Jack said to her.

Jack chuckled when River snorted at that.

"I want to go as well," the Doctor said. "I want to be there to help and I also have experience fighting the Cybermen. Having said that…John, I want you to be in command here while I'm out and if something does happen and I end up a Cybermen, you get the TARDIS."

"Me?" John said. "You trust me that much?"

"Yes, I do. I was wrong about you and I realize that now. Besides, who else could look after the old girl? Besides, even if I do make it back, I need someone here in command of it all. I want you to do that," he said, patting John's shoulder.

"Thank you," John said as the Doctor patted his shoulder a second time.

"So, I suppose I could ask the TARDIS to make realistic Cybermen suits but the job of acting like a Cyberman would be down to us. We have to make it look realistic because this lot will show us no mercy if they discover us. Are you sure you want to do this?" he said to Jack and River.

They nodded.

"Very well, TARDIS, can you make us some Cybermen disguises and be sure to add something that would make our voices sound robotic."

The TARDIS grumbled an affirmative.

"Right, so I'll take us to the Cybermen outpost and…"

He frowned when there was a flash and a metal collar appeared. He picked it up and examined it. The metal collar had a round silver disc on the front of it that had a tiny blue light in the center.

"What's this?" the Doctor said, looking up at the ceiling.

The TARDIS rumbled and grumbled at him and the Doctor's eyes widened in understanding.

"Ah. This will subdue the Cybermen we wish to capture. We have to place it around his neck and fasten it and the robot will be paralyzed," the Doctor said, holding the collar up for everyone to see.

"So all you have to do is get close enough to one to put it on him," Sarah Jane said dryly.

"Yeah and I thought it was gonna be easy," Jack said.

"What are you whinging about, you're immortal," John said.

"I would still like to keep my brain inside my head and not spend the rest of my immortality as a robot, thanks," Jack said to him.

Jack finished speaking and then he suddenly stared at something over John's shoulder with wide eyes. John turned and yelped when he saw Mandy's disembodied head floating there.

"Hi, Daddy!" Mandy said.

John didn't speak. He was too shocked at seeing his adopted daughter's head floating at eye level to his.

"Pond!" the Doctor yelled.

Amy sighed when the TARDIS made them visible again. They were still chatting with Casanova.

"What?" Amy said.

"What is this? Is she dead now?" the Doctor said, pointing to Mandy's head.

"Um…wait a tic, bilocating now," Amy said.

She sat there while her second self went off to investigate.

"Daddy, I'm in a ride," Mandy said to John.

"No, she's not here, I just asked," Amy said to the Doctor.

"Thanks for checking but she just said she was in a ride of some sort," the Doctor said.

John gasped when Rose's disembodied head appeared next to Mandy's.

"Hi, love. Don't panic, we're in some sort of machine that allows you to see far away. We asked the machine to show you so we're viewing you at the moment."

"But you're both heads now," John said.

"We are? Oh…yeah," Rose said when she turned her head to look at Mandy. "We are just heads now. Sorry, love, didn't mean to scare ya," she said.

"The Doctor thought Mandy was dead," John said.

"No, we're not dead, just having fun. Sorry," Rose said sheepishly. "We didn't realize we'd look like floating heads to you lot."

"Hi, Daddy," Mandy said to him.

"You really do think I'm your daddy now, dontcha?" John teased her. "I still think we could sell her on the black market and get some money, maybe even a nice turkey dinner or a few pints?"

"What are you lot doing now?" Rose asked them.

The Doctor explained their plan. Rose frowned at that.

"Are you sure you could control a Cyberman once you got him?" she asked.

"No, but it's worth a try," the Doctor said. "If not, I'll just deactivate it."

"I could use it for target practice," Strax piped up.

"No, you can just lay off the guns until we find the Brotherhood, thanks," the Doctor said to him.

"Mandy is making friends with Anwen," Rose said to them. "She's getting over her shyness and she's starting to follow her around. It's cute. Rhys is outside this machine. I think they went to get something to drink. He says hello to Gwen," Rose said, looking around for her.

"Tell her I said hello and I love him and Anwen and for them to be good," Gwen said.

"Okay, I'll tell him. Well, I'll let you get back to work. Come on, Mandy, let's go find something else to do. Goodbye everyone!"

They said goodbye to them and John shook his head when the heads disappeared.

"The TARDIS has a weird sense of humor, that's for certain," he said.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"Ugh," Jack said when he saw the Cybersuits.

They were all standing inside the laboratory. The TARDIS had designed three special Cybersuits, all sized to fit the Doctor, River and Jack. The suits opened up in the back and the arms, legs and head detached. While they were putting the suits on, the Doctor spoke to his friends.

"Sarah, Wilf, I want to ask if you'll help John and be in charge of everyone," the Doctor said while he sat on a chair and slipped one of the legs on.

"It'd be a pleasure," Wilf said.

"I will," Sarah Jane said.

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "Blimey, this does feel constricting. No wonder they have to shut down the emotions when they put the mind inside one of these things."

They finished putting the Cybersuit on. The Doctor slowly stood up and began to walk around, trying to get used to the restrictive feel of the suit. He walked over to Martha.

"Hello," he said in a robotic voice. "Can I chat you up? I am a robot looking for love."

Martha laughed along with the others.

"Um…sure, Mister Robot, what's your sign?" she said to him.

"Crossed computers," the Doctor said in his Cybermen voice. "Would you like to come back to my place for a coffee and an upgrade?"

Martha laughed.

"Nah, I'm in a relationship," she said, pointing to Mickey.

The Doctor walked over to him.

"She is mine, Puny," he said while Mickey grinned. "You will give her to me or face upgrading."

"No, clear off, C3PO!" Mickey said, pointing to the lab door.

"That is racist! You will be upgraded and we will remove racism!" the Doctor said, pointing to him.

They laughed while the Doctor took the Cybermen head off and took a breath of fresh air.

"Blimey, it's hot in this thing," he said. "At least I'm getting used to walking around in it."

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see River or Jack behind him. He couldn't tell since the head was on but he realized it was River when she began to strike poses and said in a robotic voice…

"How do you like me now, Sweetie?"

The Doctor put his head back on and locked it in place.

"I approve. You will come with me to the sleep chamber and be upgraded!" he said to her while everyone laughed.

Jack walked over to Grace and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Good evening," he said in his robotic voice when she turned around. "Have you ever fornicated with a piece of metal? After all, they say once you go Cyberman…"

He paused and thought how to finish that while Grace giggled.

"You know, once you go Cyberman and all," he finished with a shrug.

"Mm…yeah, that was very witty, Mister Tin Man," Grace said. "Not interested, sorry. I'd rather have a Time Lord," she teased.

Jack stared at her for a moment before walking over to John. He took his hand and led him back to Grace, stood him in front of her, patted John on the shoulder and wished him good luck and walked away while everyone laughed.

"Hello, I'm only half Time Lord but I'm aaaaall man," John said, waggling his eyebrows at her. "And as they say, once you go Time Lord, you'll never be bored. Ha! See I can think up a clever rhyme, unlike some people," he said.

They laughed when Jack flipped him off.

XOXOXOXOXOXXOXO

The Doctor led them to the console room. He took his head off and put it on the chair behind him while he piloted the TARDIS towards the Cyberfleet.

"John, you have to take the TARDIS and get it away from the Cyberfleet as soon as we get out. I'll take my Stattenheim remote control and call it back to us when we're finished. But the last thing I want is for this ship to fall into enemy hands."

Gotcha," John said.

The TARDIS landed and the Doctor grabbed his head and put it back on as he, River and Jack hurried to the front door. John stood at the console and watched while they hurried out the door. Once the door closed, John rushed around the console and took the TARDIS back into the vortex.


End file.
